Can people really change?

I've been thinking about that question a lot lately. It seems like the obvious answer would be no, but if you really take a look at those around you, you might be surprised. I know that I've changed over the years...and my husband has changed a lot too. He's not the same person that I started dating all those years ago, or even the man I married for that matter. Everybody changes to some degree, it's called life. But I guess whether or not one's changes are drastic or barely visible is what counts for or against them. We tend to think that those who hurt us, will never change.

What in us, makes it so we don't want to accept that others can change? It's human nature to not trust those who have hurt or betrayed us in some way. But does that mean that the person didn't learn a painful lesson? Or that with time, they may realize that what they did or who they are, is wrong? People grow up...the things that once mattered to them, lose their importance. Other things begin to become more important. Are we to be condemned for our actions, for a lifetime? Then again, people don't only change for the better, I'm sure we all know people who have changed for the worst.

Maybe the fact of whether people can change is based on the individual and the things that impact their lives? And maybe, it also has to do with our own capabilities to forgive and look for that change in others?