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When I look back on my 5 decades of life, it's like I am looking at the lives of several different people. My pendulum has swung from one extreme to another (in terms of politics, religious views, opinions on various topics, etc.) before settling in a nice, moderate middle ground. I have done things in the past that I cannot even fathom now, (nothing criminal!), things that would completely violate the morals I hold now. In looking back at some things I've done, things which still cause guilt and regret, it really feels like it was "someone else" who did those things.
Yet I know other people who "seem" so steadfast. Who they were as a teen, young adult, middle ager, they've basically been the same person, just grown in maturity and life experiences.
Is it odd for a person to go through such tremendous changes, to feel like a completely different person than who s/he was in the past?
No.
You always stay the same conscious Self, or Individuality. But personality is dissolved during after the death states. Particularly, during the last stage, right after heaven, when Self falls into dreamless sleep awaiting for physical body to be ready for it to re-enter.
Actually, let me add something. Though personality is dissolved and forgotten, some inclinations or treats may ""stick", leading to situations you describe. Esp for those individual Selves that been through same personality types over and over and over again. Same principle goes for "born talents". Those had particular job or trade or skill done so many times, that it comes natural to them.
No.
You always stay the same conscious Self, or Individuality. But personality is dissolved during after the death states. Particularly, during the last stage, right after heaven, when Self falls into dreamless sleep awaiting for physical body to be ready for it to re-enter.
I've gone through some tremendous changes in my 37 years, but I've always been essentially the same person. For example, even as a child, my parents political beliefs never agreed with me - as soon as I began to think for myself, I understood why. Fear and insecurity kept me from being the person I WANTED to be for a long time, but when I got my legs under me, I was able to head toward that goal.
Through it all, I have remained a goofy, dog-loving oddball who enjoys the company of others, but is also content all on her own. But I don't think everyone's life should follow that trajectory of being mostly the same throughout life. I had a decent (not fabulous) upbringing, a reasonably stable environment, a good education and a wide circle of people who love and support me. When I entered adulthood, I had most of the tools I needed to live a functional life - I mean, I was a mess when I was 18, but I just had to put all the pieces together. I've known a lot of people who ended up making huge changes in their lives and who they were because they were coming from a background of unhappiness, turmoil, deprivation or ignorance. My life hasn't been a walk in the park, but I ALWAYS had the support and safety nets that equate to a good start in life.
I'm the same person in essence but my personality and perception on life is always changing.
I am the same way, too and quiet possibly, that occurs because of influence from without, because of a change of circumstance in life. People, jobs, loved ones, places I lived, all have come and gone, and the influence they had on my life at the time seemingly fades with time, and I move on. All of those things added to who I am today, but with new events occurring daily, I still change my perception of life around me. I could never change my core personality. I like who I am.
I've gone through 2 distinct periods of life with massive changes happening. My "personality" or outer persona isn't anything what it used to be. Maybe my core self/ some general "me" still exists, but all other facets of the self have changed, way I look at life is very different from my "older" selves.
When I look back on my 5 decades of life, it's like I am looking at the lives of several different people. ...
I am seventy-five, and I certainly have that feeling. However, this seems to be a view that has developed mostly in the past twenty years, and it has become very strong at this point.
If someone is the same person all his life he never grew.
Our life is full of the mistakes and our life is full of the afflatuses.
The life is an exam and it is depends on us whether we can pass it.
When I look back on my 5 decades of life, it's like I am looking at the lives of several different people. My pendulum has swung from one extreme to another (in terms of politics, religious views, opinions on various topics, etc.) before settling in a nice, moderate middle ground. I have done things in the past that I cannot even fathom now, (nothing criminal!), things that would completely violate the morals I hold now. In looking back at some things I've done, things which still cause guilt and regret, it really feels like it was "someone else" who did those things.
Yet I know other people who "seem" so steadfast. Who they were as a teen, young adult, middle ager, they've basically been the same person, just grown in maturity and life experiences.
Is it odd for a person to go through such tremendous changes, to feel like a completely different person than who s/he was in the past?
I think that life (or a combination of luck and chance and some guidance/interference) makes us into who we are.
So, if our life is pretty much the same, then our views/personality/person will be pretty much the same throughout time. If circumstances drastically change, then we will change. So it's not weird, but maybe it's uncommon. Maybe majority of people tend to stand by something most of their life.
I've changed too. I went from believing absolute, no gray areas black and white: "lying is a no-no" to "lying could even be a good thing sometimes and saying the truth a bad thing". I went from being religious with strict morals to non-religious who says: well, what is good and what is bad? It's all relative. Everything depends on a situation.
But it turns out that God of the Bible is the same way (but people don't know it). Because in the Old Testament God allows people to avenge themselves and therefore doing harm in some cases is NOT a sin. But in the New Testament, doing harm under ANY circumstances is a sin. So, in God's world, the same thing could be a sin and not a sin, depending on circumstances and time period. Not that I believe in God. But I am just saying that even the God of the Christians doesn't believe in absolute good and bad.
I used to be a doormat in life when I was younger. I would let people walk all over me and treat me like crap and think that it was ok. I used to apologize profusely for myself. No longer do I care what others think of me. I also was a major people pleaser in life and wanted the cool/popular kids to like me so I would try and do things to impress them. I realize now it was a waste of time. My life is for me to live, not to live for others. I have become more assertive in my life and being able to stand up to people feels good when they try and belittle me. I have changed politically as well. I feel in my life once I hit puberty there is an awareness that is awakened about how the world really is, don't know how else to explain it. I have always tried to be nice to people cause I want to be treated nice.
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