
软苏格拉底
@Graceruansu
Jul 22, 2026, 02:54 AM
Why Do People Change? Reflections on a Poverty Relief Incident
I had a college roommate from a rural farming family, and her family was struggling financially. At the time, our school had a poverty relief program that provided around 5,000 yuan per year, which was a significant amount of money for her. However, the second year, our class's Communist Youth League secretary somehow managed to get her hands on the poverty certificate (her family was actually quite well-off) and took the relief money that was originally meant for my roommate.
I was furious when I found out, so I went to confront the secretary and we got into a huge argument. But then my roommate came over and told me to calm down, that it was no big deal. And then she went and had breakfast and lunch with the secretary at the cafeteria. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the secretary was also my roommate. So, I ended up being the bad guy who was in the wrong.
At the time, I couldn't understand why my roommate was acting that way. She knew the secretary's behavior was wrong, but she still wanted to be friends with her and even eat with her. I thought she was cowardly and selfish, only caring about her own interests and not considering others' feelings.
But later on, I realized that my roommate's behavior was understandable. Growing up in a poor family, she had to learn how to survive. She had to learn how to protect herself and get resources. But this kind of behavior also made her become more apathetic, cowardly, and selfish.
I think this is why people change. Our environment, experiences, and pressures all affect our behavior and personality. We become more realistic, more selfish, and more apathetic. But we also become stronger, braver, and wiser.



