I personally believe there’s no definitive answer to that question, and that you can argue yes, people change all the time and no, people are who they are. To prove my point, I’ll make both arguments right now.

Yes: People change all the time. None of us are the same people we were when we were kids compared to how old we are now or how old we’ll be 10 years from now. We’ve all gained new interests, had new experiences, learned new things and met new people. Each of these factors gives us a new perspective, allows us to grow and, in turn, change. Furthermore, we constantly change on a situational, day-to-day basis. In other words, we’re not the same people we are when we’re, say, in a meeting with our co-workers, compared to the way we act when we’re out at a bar with friends, or even at home having dinner with our family. We have different personas that enable us to behave accordingly in different situations. Another key point worth mentioning is that everyone is indeed capable of change. It’s all about having the desire and making the conscious decision to make that change for overall self-improvement.

No: No one is going to drastically change overnight because, in essence, we are who we are. That’s why, for instance, when we’ve been friends with someone for a long time, and we haven’t seen that person in a few years or so, we can pick up where we left off with them as if no time has passed. In my personal experience, I’ve come to find that this is always true. Never have I met up with someone whom I hadn’t seen in a long time and gotten the impression that they were a totally different person. It’s because they aren’t. To that end, while our interests or certain aspects of our lives may change over time, when it all comes down to it, our personalities and the core of who we are will always stay the same.

If you’ve got a different opinion or another point you’d like to raise, feel free to share. Otherwise, keep being you.