Can we ever change? Is it even possible to stay the same?
I'd say there is nothing to change, nor is there anything there to remain the same.
My theory is, the thing we call self is the perceptions we gathered from our senses of the original world to make our own individual world. We don't see it within ourself because our subconscious made it, when it absorbs the millions of data without us knowing it. The closest thing we can get to changing our "self" is changing that world that is unique to you, and you can only use the original world to do that.
When I've thought hard about these beliefs, and how they relate to my life and my problems, I knew to solve it I need to go and try to do something big. I don't even think I have to make it, the journey will probably change my world enough, but while I'm walking that path, you're not going to hear me so no.
There was talk a while back about killing oneself as an answer to the burdening questions of life that make it seem like there is no point. I do agree, there is no point, and there are no answer, I believe. But to me that is the answer. Killing oneself is a denial of that realization, it is to say you have no answer when you wish you did. Anyone who realizes that there are no questions sees the absurdity of killing yourself. From thinking about life I've reached that personal belief, and I've read a little bit of Albert Camus' Myth of Sisyphus that is about the problem of suicide that talks in a similar manner.
I've also noticed a fundamental difference between sadness and joy. I was thinking that reflection was certainly the source of existential suffering, is joy like that as well? At first I thought so, and was disappointed in the problems that are implied by that, the fickle highs and lows that necessarily apply to human existence, are humans naturally so unfit to live? But upon further speculation of it, I think that may be incorrect. Sadness definitely requires that bit of reflection, the proof even lies in someone who has nothing grave about their current state, but nothing to enjoy either, and a sense of empty is constructed artificially purely by that (the thought occurred to me when I saw someone on Facebook say they were sad, and a friend suggested something like, "In order to fix that sadness, you're going to need an equal proportion of happiness." I remember thinking, "Huh... that doesn't seem quite right... what would remain then? Nothing?" Then I see people who go out and have fun, and it seems so much more natural to laugh in reaction to something, it's basically compulsory. Happiness seems to be much more of a reflex, but to shrink from something, it requires something a little more, I think. As if something comes up, like fear, and its nature is to win through glare alone. But contentment, you don't have to try at all when you truly are, but to be discontent, I haven't seen a single case of it without a sense of preponderance, without a bit of measuring, eh?
I know I'm going off on a bit of an uncalled for tangent here, but I'm going to keep rolling with it. Prior to this, I remember thinking what philosophy was, what a philosopher is, and what are their goals. Aren't we all using philosophy, more or less? Raising questions and trying to answer them? So what is the goal, the ultimate state of a philosopher (of all of us, since we all are)? Obviously, it means when we are done raising questions. The ultimate philosophy doesn't need to reflect at the slightest. He lives, almost like what Chinese Taoist philosopher's idealize (except the empty headedness is perhaps a bit extremist, if you get my point). This truth even seems a bit intuitive, I mean, when we here quotes of things like that, that are so simple and plain we stereotypically go, "Ohhh, that sounds so wise!" I think we can strive to be so natural, shedding a lot of suffering, and yet not lose joy. People tend to polarize the idea, and say that without the one we can't have the other, but I've never been found of the concept of opposites, things having a "thisness" and "thatness".
But yeah, my thoughts for those who might care.