That you wish it.................is the first step. Proof? That you have to realize for yourself. When all other wants become exhaustible, I think you will find you will not have much of a choice.

Phil, how your were "built" has much to do with it if you are referring to your upbringing. It is difficult to ascertain what you mean when you say that. As far as that goes, just who do you think is responsible for building you and why is it you think differently than I ?

Let me ask you this; can you define a thought? Can you prove where that thought comes from and why? All that we think we are not, is what we are hungry for and most will think of ways to nourish that appetite. Many think we start malnourished and we are fed much and I guess, as you say, is what builds us.

We are all fed differently as there are different appetites and all want to be full/filled/fulfilled and why we ask questions and all would like to provide those answers, if they could. When we try, consciously, to hunt for those answers those thoughts are difficult to find that will offer fulfillment to another.

If your answer, if you have one, is for the benefit of the one asking the question; he who is hungry; can you fulfill that person? Or are you just responding to fulfill yourself? You see Phil, I have no idea of who you are and no one else knows that either. Can you prove that? Who you are as it pertains to all that you are?

That's why I say faith is something that will come to you if and only if you are "open" to allow it to come..............in. But in truth, it was there all along and in fact to have that faith, one has to forget much of the stuff others have fed them. That my friend is not an easy thing to do. That has to be regurgitated/given up/take a load off/cough it up/spit it out/get rid of it, and it will happen as time goes on. They will go on a 'diet' or die from too much malnutrition.

You asked me a question; no, wait...............you wished to have something. Let's hope from what I have offered, that wish will be granted. There's a big difference in wishing something and wanting something. Wishes can be fulfilled, wants can't; one who wants can never be filled and only want for more.

Here, Phil, is where most people are that think as you. They know a lot because they are most hungry and cannot be filled by what others are feeding them and hold on to it all in hopes that some day they will be fulfilled. Only to find that they had held on to, to a burden and become weighted down finding no fulfillment in themselves much less in anything else another might offer. They are full/fat/cats, ha! and ascertaining answers that are true from so much stuff, they become bloated/smug/full of themselves and the only answers they give just satisfy themselves. I am not saying that is you but those who want proof for everything when there is no way we can now what everything is.

Let me offer why the Genie in the bottle usually offers 3 three wishes. It's because the third wish is to undo the first two "wants", ha! The first two are wants for themselves and the last one will be for others to be happy and in that you will be happy too......................; they will see to it.

Ha, time to go back into my bottle. You know, come to think about it, I did live in a bottle for the longest time; a bottle of scotch, ha! Thank God, he threw me a life preserver. Who is God? Whoever you wish him to be. He can do that, you know................if you wish it. Of course some say "pray" in that case one might be careful for what they pray for, huh? He grants those too. Thank God for that third wish.

We are in the third millenium, huh! I wonder what this thousand years will bring. Let's hope not more trials. Let's us all hope we have all learned our lessen by now. What do you wish for? World peace is a good one. Perhaps this will be our third and final one, huh?

William

Phobia is part of human nature. Once saw a TV program about a woman who were afraid of sharks, a terapeut tryed to cure her by putting her in a big dark basin where she would live out her fear, screaming herself to exhaution, but no cure. She stopped since she only got more traumatized, then she was led to an aquarium with shark babies where the leader would present her with a baby shark, then the woman's mother instinct would overwrite her phobia of sharks, when the leader would gently cuddle the babysharks belly.

Annoying children will often be able to overwrite their annoying behaviour if they know they must oppotunisticly put aside their annoying behaviour in order to gain something.

So in essence, an instinct can overwrite another instinct, if it's stronger, but if 2 instinct are almost/equally strong there may be a conflict of behaviour.

Damn! Perhaps you are watching too much television. As Forrest Gump would say "That's all I have to say about that", ha!

William

God I hope so. . .
However many believe that we are born pure and that it is actually human nature to morally degrade ourselves. In the end every action is a habit of our own collective thoughts & beliefs, that being said then YES we all can change. Now figuring out how, why, and what you want to change is the issue.

Also, I think it takes a balance of passion within yourself and communication with others to change.

Evidentally you overlooked, or read too quickly, the first post in this thread:http://www.philosophyforum.com/philosophy-forums/branches-philosophy/ethics/7814-stages-evolution-ethical-insight-through-history.html

It explains there that the prevailing ethos of the times did change through the years. In other words, there has been cultural evolution - which over time has had the effect of changing what was thought to be "human nature."

Every time a psychotherapist, or a life coach, counsels a client successfully human nature can be said to have changed in that individual, for a change in behavior is evident.

A good case can be made that the reasons why you do things, the values you have and live by, are your nature.
Yet as a result of education people do change their belief systems, their value systems: they value different things, and they value differently than they did years ago. In that sense "human nature" is changed every day that real education takes place.
For every day different people gain new insights and hence change their behavior accordingly. They have learned something new.
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Yes. We can change if we repent of all of our sins and accept Jesus as our God, Lord, ASavior, and Friend.