Rihla 23

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I believe that people change as they grow up. When I was younger, I used to think about who I would be when I got older. As a little kid, you find yourself developing a natural curiosity on who you are and who you want to be in the future. If I were to ask the 7 year old Faatimat, "what will you be like in ten years?" the answer would be different from everything I am today.
Everyone usually goes through life knowing their morals from a young age. Their morals are either instilled in them by parents or by firsthand experiences. When I was younger, I would look at the world and the things people did and simply judge them. Being younger, you look at things people do and say "I'd never do that!"
Nowadays, all my friends tell me how much I've changed. I know I've changed. I would hate to be the same person I was freshman year, for example. A lot of the things I swore I would never do, I ended up doing. A lot of the people I thought I should keep around, I got rid of them. But the difference now is that I'm happy. As long as I'm being me, and I'm happy, no one else matters. I didn't change, I just stopped caring about making other people happy...and as a result, I'm a happier person.
Growing up, I've learned more than anyone that people don't change, but morals do. Once that simple naivety and ignorance escapes your mind, and you begin to understand and learn more, you reevaluate yourself as a person. Once you've seen it all and determined what you like and dislike, you determine your personality. Once
At age 17, I know that my beliefs and morals have changed consistently based on things that happen to me. Life is unpredictable, and people are as well. Seeing myself change over the years, I believe that as long as you're changing for your own happiness, change is a good thing.

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