Tigers and Bears (yes, yes: Oh My!)

I've learned a rough lesson: sometimes a tiger just can't change his stripes. You can paint him all black and pretend they aren't there, he can roll over in the dust and imagine himself solid. But the fact of the matter is, whether we want to accept this or not, some people just don't change, for whatever reason.
Some do, of course. I wouldn't have devoted the last several years of my life to death row work if I wasn't convinced of that fact. I wouldn't even bother calling myself a Catholic if I didn't believe in the forgiveness of sins and conversions. But in the past 2 days, I watched 3 movies that all seemed to (ironically) bear the same theme. And they struck me.
First I saw the remake of King Kong. We all know that story.
Then I saw Grizzly Man and Capote.
I had to watch Capote because TC is at times my favorite author in the world. And In Cold Blood is at times my favorite book in the world. The movie follows TC as he goes to Kansas to research the book. He meets the death row prisoners and the movie does a good job of showing his indecision--he needs the 2 to be executed so he has an ending for his book and can release it soon. But he grows attached to the men, especially Perry, and almost wants to cling to them much longer. At times in the movie you wonder if he'll become their greatest advocate. But in the end, though he does seem to make a brief conversion of heart, TC withdraws and selfishly desires the men's death for the sake of quick literature. That tiger kept his stripes after all.
Grizzly Man. What can I say? This is a documentary almost entirely filmed by a now-dead man, Tim Treadwell. This (I think, and I feel it's obvious to all) emotionally disturbed man lived for 13 summers among wild grizzly bears and eventually died at their jaws and claws. It was exactly what he wanted, as he reiterated over and over again. The point is that he made various mistakes. In the film you can see him talking to the grizzlies as if they were pets or baby humans. He crosses the line between wild and civilized, and forgets that he is human...and that they are beasts. Had Tim lived, we could have watched these clips in wonder--but knowing his demise, we can only say that all along something had been rotten in the state of Denmark. The bears were always bears and Tim was always a man.
Depressing? A little. It's hard to see those harsh realities spit directly into your face like that. I've been in a funk ever since. Because while I obviously know that rules of thumb are made to be broken and challenged, there is truth to them in spots after all.
In my life I've seen miracles--people changing right before my eyes, surprising me and filling me with awe. But I've also noticed those who, despite how hard I try to reach them, always remain stuck in the same pits I found them in. And myself--how many bad habits I've tried to break only to find them rearing up in my face again years later.
Only God's Grace can save us, it's true. But it's not for me to understand why or how some are saved, and others not. Why some tigers never change their stripes while others, miraculously, ascend despite them.