Do people change?

A few years ago, I met a person who I used to work with. He had come for a job interview in my current organization. When I used to work with him, I knew him as a very competitive worker who wouldn't think twice before presenting someone else's work as his own. I brought this up in his job interview, asking him to explain how this personality trait will not hamper his team-working skills. I was expecting him to vehemently defend himself. Instead, much to my surprise, he said, "I was immature and insecure at that time. I am no longer the same person I used to be. I have changed." I was taken aback with his apparent honesty. I decided to take a chance and hired him. And, today, I am happy to see him work as a great overall team player. Has he actually been able to overcome his mean streak? Or is he a ticking time bomb waiting to cause big scale damage? In the heart of the issue was the million dollar question - Do people change?

Very often, I hear wise and elderly people say - "Once a thief, always a thief." Is that true? I have heard and read about numerous cases where criminals keep committing crimes even after imprisonment or where paroled murderers commit murders again. Every day, the newspapers are filled with accounts of misdeeds committed by history sheeters, career criminals, hardened criminals, etc. On the other hand, stories of people turning over a new leaf are quite rare. In fact, that seems to happen only in Bollywood family-drama style movies where the scheming mother-in-law/sister-in-law undergoes complete change of heart in the climatic moments of the film - all well within 3 hours!

Jokes apart, I think the question is not "Do people change?"; the question should probably be "Can people change?" We have read about Emperor Ashoka giving up violence and embracing Buddhism after the battle of Kalinga. Mythology is filled with inspirational stories of evil people turning good. So, maybe people can change - if they want to. With genuine remorse and absolute resolve, maybe people can change for better. In fact, for this world to make sense, we will need to believe that people can change. For my own sanity, I need this faith that even modern-day Ratnakars are capable of transforming to Valmikis.