Last night, my friend told me that people don’t change; we just learn more about them. I’ve been contemplating this for a while, but I have to say that I disagree with him. I believe that people really can change. Even if we learn more about someone, that’s just us learning about a part of them set in a certain time; past or present. We can’t learn more about how a person will be in the future or even how they will be that very next day because events happen all the time that can change a person. The world is changing every day, and that is primarily because people do change.

I believe a major reason why we as people seem to change is because we learn more about ourselves; our likes, dislikes, and we figure out how we feel about things that have maybe never had to cross our minds before. With the beginning of each new day, come new situations and new circumstances that we have to learn how to face and handle. Now, I know that many of you reading this probably don’t have much respect for Miley Cyrus. I don’t blame you. However, she is one of the major reasons why I have been contemplating whether or not people do change. So, I will be making references to her in this article. But, whatever position you take on Miley, I think you should keep reading. This article is not about Miley, but in fact contains something for all of us to learn.

Miley was my role model for over four years. I respected her because she wrote a lot of her own music and because she worked really hard to get to the place she is in now. But, this past year, Miley has seemed to lose a lot of herself. She used to preach the importance of family values, faith, and staying true to oneself despite anything that may happen. For a while, the example she set was a positive one. But now, Miley is a prime example of the fact that people do change, and unfortunately Miley has taken a turn for the worse.

I didn’t really mean for this to turn into a story about Miley, but I don’t think that many of us have the right way of going about issues like this. As far as celebrities go, the population of “haters” is much greater than that of any private individual. However, the hating tactics are still the same no matter who the person may be.

People tag others with terrible names, some going as far as they can to be the most hateful they can be towards another person. But, is spreading hateful comments and words really going to cause a person to make a positive change in themself? And if getting someone to change back is not the reason for the hateful words, then why do we use them at all? Sure, we’re angry, but there are more effective ways to get our points across.

The only thing hating and haters do is make things more miserable, in turn, delaying any positive changes we’re hoping to see. In the case of Miley Cyrus, she goes around telling people that she doesn’t care what others think. That is nonsense, because everything she does is for show. But, I know, somewhere inside of her, she still cares about the important things. And, I’m thinking that she is even a little disappointed in herself, and that’s part of the reason why she is stuck in this position, unsure of who she should be and how she should act. Being a teenager is difficult enough without being watched by millions of eyes. Now, I’m not condoning any of Miley’s behavior in any way. I am completely upset with her and her choices. I know I’m not the only one she’s let down. I guess the question I would like to ask her is simply, “What happened?” She used to be such a happy, fun-loving person and now she’s become sarcastic and materialistic, and she’s seemed to have forgotten about those who have helped her reach the position she’s in today.

A few years ago, Miley was sitting in a classroom in a school in Tennessee, not understanding why people were so judgmental of one another. She was bullied constantly, but she kept believing in herself. She held onto that strong will until her dreams became reality. For a while, it seemed she was especially grateful for her success. The Miley I see today, dancing around in skimpy outfits, getting tattoos, dating men up to five years older than her, and disregarding her fans is not who she is. I do blame the haters for a certain amount of the changes seen in Miley and her behavior. The pressures that Miley must face every day are unimaginable to a regular individual like myself. However, Miley should not be handling things in this matter. She can “grow up” without becoming the next Britney Spears, and she can show off her talent as an artist without showing off too much skin.

I guess all I’m saying is that I wish people would try to see things from the other side before making judgments and comments. Now, again, I’m not excusing any of Miley’s behavior. I am completely upset with her and the choices she has recently made. Still, I wish we’d get all the facts and then form our own opinions; not only about other people, but about anything going on in the world. People throw out the word “hate” as much, if not more than they throw out the word “love.” In both cases, I don’t believe people are fully aware of what they’re saying most of the time.

Hating has become a sport for too many people. I’m just trying to say that it’s not worth our energy, for hating brings no good. It’s the solutions and the brighter outlooks that will bring forth the positive changes in the world and in the people as well. I believe that if we keep a positive outlook on things, that attitude can easily spread just as quickly as the hateful attitudes are able to. So, why not try to help and keep the faith, instead of giving up and declaring your hate towards someone or something. Hating makes us ugly and nothing good comes out of it.

I’m not a hippie, and I don’t go around, preaching, “Spread the love, not the war!” But, seriously, we need to find a happy medium. We can’t just keep hating. The outcomes of it are going to be more severe than we can imagine.