Someone once said to me “A person’s true nature never changes.”

And as soon as I heard this, my mind launched into series of never-ending debates. On one hand I completely agreed with the stated fact. “No one ever really changes.” But, on the other, I have seen people change with my own eyes, I have experienced bundles of change within my own self over the past few years. But, if all this is true then why did I actually agree with this fact in the first place? It should mean that something about this fact is true, that something should be right about our never-changing nature. And to find somewhat of a solution to this dilemma, we need to dive deep into this entity that we call “Our Nature” and try to define what it is.

But, this is where, I am afraid, the problem actually begins. It is near impossible to define it in a single line. Even if someone asks us right this instant “How would you define human nature?” we would likely stutter before answering. And this mostly happens because the whole concept in which it resides in is quite vague. That is why no single appropriate definition of “Human Nature” exists but, multiple do. Each one different from another yet meaning the same, all the while its real meaning still remains a blur, a puzzle. But, where words seem to fail, actions tend to prevail. And even with vagueness surrounding this topic, we can still try to see right through this vague mist with the light of an example.

Consider a loving mother who might say straight to her child, the words “I love you so much!” while a different mother might never choose to utter these words but, works every minute of the day till her hands go numb to provide for her child. Both are undoubtedly showing the same emotion, Love, and to the same person, her child. But, there is only one difference among them and that is in their respective natures. Both chose to show same emotion but, in different ways. And understanding what led to this difference is understanding what nature truly means. While both the mothers might have loved their respective children equally, they decided to express it, to show it, in distinct manners. And that is how our nature seems to work. It resides is in the way we express.

The way we act, is embedded in our nature. The way we think, is embedded in our nature. The way we feel, is embedded in our nature. We are nothing but walking talking beings of our own natural selves. Our nature is an internal module, a core, a kernel which decides how we live, how we react, how we deal with everything that is happening around us. It is crucial.

But, let’s get back to our real concern here. “Can nature of a person really change?” Well, if you ask me; I have seen those who cared with everything in their heart, grow cold and cruel over time, and I have seen those who never gave a thought about anyone, pour their heart out for the people they had grown to love. I have seen circumstances change people. I have seen life change people. So, does that mean their nature changed as well? Or they just reverted back to their original natural self which they were hiding from before? It sadly still remains a mystery to me.

But, what no longer remains a mystery is “Our Nature” itself and what it truly tells about us as functioning individuals. It isn’t as vague as it seems to be. The deeper we think about it, the more fundamental it becomes.

For further simplicity, it all can be visualized in a simple spherical model (Shown in the above art). One containing a dark, opaque core in the middle, surrounded by a hollow spherical shell beyond it. The inner core is a solid sphere containing our truest nature, almost impenetrable from the outside, unchangeable, while the outer shell is closer to the world, is easier to penetrate and has the ability to invite change as we go through our lives. It can invite care into a person who never did. It can invite cruelty into a being who never knew the meaning of it. It is our own job to find out which characteristics of ours reside in the inner impenetrable core and which lie outside and invite change. So in a way, some parts of us never truly change but, some just may do.

And if someone still asks me “What is human nature? Can nature of a person truly change?” I would still not be sure of the answer. I would still stutter. But, what I am sure of, is that I would definitely not know anything, if I never asked the question in the first place.

The art you see in this post was created by using Fresh Paint.

Human nature isn’t a burning and trending hot topic of today, it has been around for ages and a lot of men and women have wondered upon it for over hundreds of years. In this post I have just grazed the surface of it. If you are curious enough to ask “What lies underneath this surface?” then this link will definitely help your curiosity.