Change of heart?

I've had many thoughts come to me as the night starts to wane.  Sometimes they stay with me in the morning, sometimes I'm lucky enough to make a note somewhere so that when I try to remember and cannot, I jog my memory.  I was finally able to make a such a note the other night.

Change is a constant.  Change can be good.  Many times the change in our lives may not come across as beneficial until we are far from the point of the change.  One thing I hate to hear is "people can change".  I am not saying that someone can start to do good when all they seemed to do before was evil or vindictive.  What I am saying is that your inner self, your true self, your soul, does not. 

Think of it like a light bulb.  It shines it's beautiful light to share with whomever it can touch.  But it can be different.  It can have a shade to dull its glow.  It can be dipped in colouring to become a different hue.  The original light has not changed, it is having it's self portrayed differently.  It can even be covered so much that barely even a speck of light comes through to show it's inner beauty.

In this way we are very similar to the light bulb.  Our soul can shine through and be exactly who we are, but we can also make our intentions and actions appear to something else.  A person that is trying to fit in can start to mirror the actions of others in an attempt to be accepted.  And sometimes the light that is within one's soul is not always so brilliant and innocent.  They can give that appearance though.

You hear people say "they just changed one day", "they were always such a nice person", and they start to go on about how a person miraculously became the opposite of what they were.  But people do not change.  Desires, perceptions, presence of optimism, those can all change but not people.  One good example is those that would toss around a four letter word so carelessly to someone in order to strike awe into their heart in hopes of getting a not-so-nice four letter word that should only be given in a true soul mate's joining.  (Here's a hint, the first four letter word is l-o-v-e).

I do think a lot of good people get their light covered and hidden so much because they become afraid to show who they truly are.  We have a bad habit as a society to trample on what is different.  There is a big "bullying" campaign circulating the schools now.  I hope it helps, but bullying and teasing is woven so deep into our culture (just watch 15 mins of TV or any movie), that it gets hardwired that we have to accepted by our friends/enemies.

But I'm now on a tangent.  I hope that the point I was going for did come across.  People don't suddenly become something they never truly were.  They suddenly lose the flowery shade they were hiding behind.  And don't mock/tease/bully... take it from the person that most of my "peers" took it upon themselves to attack.  If you are the victim, there are people out there that care, and I hope you find the inner strength to get to them.