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Can a person really change who they are?

John said in 2015 he is always becoming someone else, and in 2021 and 2026 pointed to his own changes as hope that he can keep growing.

Axis: people can fundamentally change ... the core self stays fixed

Positions by date: 20 records in 20 videos. The position was refined (2023), never reversed, in these records.

John

date how position video
2015-05-12 first on record John says Tameka's assignment reminded him that he is always becoming someone else. Becoming Someone Else 00:03:16
2019-10-15 restate John knows he is done growing up but hopes he is not done growing. I'm Having a Lot of Feelings 00:02:55
2020-02-11 restate John describes a helpful shift in how he imagines himself: he never thought of himself as fit or healthy and defined himself against fitness, a nerd, not a jock; a mind person, not a body person. 1,100 Days: A Mental and Physical Health Update 00:01:56
2021-03-09 restate It seems to John that one of the ways Hank has stayed himself is by changing. Hank Rebranded Without Any of Us Noticing 00:03:24
2021-08-24 restate Personalities change too: at 30 John hated gardening, exercise and being outside and did not care about third-tier English football, and now he loves all of it. It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. 00:03:35
2021-12-21 restate John concludes that much of what he considers himself is not inevitable: people can change and keep changing, and the way things are, for us and the world, is not how they must be. NOW I AM THE SCIENCE ONE… 00:01:56
2023-09-29 restate John says he has changed a ton in adulthood too, including since starting this project. Like Apocalyptic Horsemen 00:03:33
2025-06-03 restate John says one of his problems is believing present and future John are the same person in the same context, so he makes big declarative statements about a future he cannot know. My Lies 00:00:23
2026-02-13 restate John says watching the video of himself at 24 made him feel he is still in progress. Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! 02:18:28
2026-03-03 restate Rereading the cringy emails gave John hope that he can keep growing: the boy who won the award is not him today, and he need not be the same in 20 years. The Best Fan Mail I Ever Received 00:06:40

Hank

date how position video
2011-11-04 first on record Hank asks whether his goatee changes who he is; not so far, he thinks, and he wonders whether wearing contacts in high school would have made him a different person. You CAN Judge a Book by its Cover! 00:02:34
2016-01-08 restate Hank says people keep becoming someone different throughout life, shaped by expectations, and that this is wonderful. Who Am I?! - Some thoughts on Personal Identity 00:03:21
2017-08-18 restate Hank wants to learn from Mom that beliefs can change, empathy can grow, and the lifelong work toward a more compassionate, tolerant and just world is never done. What I've Been Thinking About 00:03:22
2017-12-29 restate Hank argues it does not help to believe we were born to only ever be one way: we change hour to hour with situations and decade to decade. Can You Ever Really Change? 00:02:45
2018-05-04 restate Hank thinks how we respond to these threats, with aggression, defense, fear, avoidance or acceptance, informs a huge part of who we become and how we interact with the world. When to Attack a Moose 00:03:22
2020-10-12 restate Hank's wisdom: these things are not fixed; they can and should change, which should make you feel human, not less worthwhile, since adaptability is the most human trait. What Matters 00:03:17
2021-03-12 restate The more Hank acts a way on the internet, the more he actually is that way; people change their whole lives, different from one year to another. A Crisis of Branding 00:02:30
2023-06-16 refine Hank says he is a story he tells himself and 17-year-old Hank is a vital part of it: he is not him, but he loves and cares about him. So, About This HAIR… 00:03:05
2024-03-15 restate Hank says when big things happen the whole person doesn't come through: a different you comes out, perhaps interested in new things, and finding them can be joyous with support. The Worst Things About Not Having Cancer 00:05:24
2025-08-05 restate Answering John's tease that he wants to live to a thousand, Hank says at that age you would see there is no one continuous you, only a series of selves. ONE TAKE JOHNNY 00:12:05

Background

date how position video
2025-08-05 background John says there is some continuity of self: he is stuck with his childhood memories, mostly in the form of trauma. (playful) ONE TAKE JOHNNY 00:12:44
2026-02-10 background John jokes that he is still the frail, anxious person he was at 14, now 48: you can change in adulthood, he just hasn't. (playful) I Was a Teenage Dirtbag 00:02:05