[legion]

I would say that most people do not change much.

All people change over time. To what degree and what traits change varies from person to person, and they are impossible to predict. I do believe that people can completely change their lives, their mannerisms, their beliefs, but it is also highly unlikely.

Ironically, I find that people who claim they are changed are the most the same, and people who claim to be the same change the most.

I have a "friend" I hear from from time to time. He calls about once a year. I never call him; and don't always answer the phone when he calls. For some reason, whenever we get together it ends up costing me much more money than I anticipated (can be anything from him conveniently forgetting his wallet, again, to desperately needing a loan that he promises to pay back, again). My last straw with him was when the check he wrote for my wedding gift bounced. He called me over Thanksgiving this year and left a message (I didn't answer). Apparently he knocked some girl up and now has a daughter. He wants me to be best man in his wedding (no date set). I considered mailing his bounced check to him as his wedding gift. My point? This guy has claimed to be a changed man more times than I can count. He has never held a job longer than six months, never gotten promoted, never even stuck around anyplace long enough to get benefits. By my last count, he has been fired from 37 different jobs (and quit almost as many jobs as well), and he is only 27 years old. He will always be a loser.