Nature vs. Nurture?When are we formed? And, by “we” I mean total and complete beings with all of our essential-for-life parts. It is at birth? At age two? At 14? 25? 50? Ever? Never?
How are we formed? Is all that we are determined at conception by some roadmap etched into distinct polished marble facades by the fates? Or, we are a base model continually molded and upgraded by the endless trail of our experiences? And, does our ability to development, mutate, adapt, re-invent ourselves also depend upon our nature and our nurturing?
Perhaps, some us are born fully formed with all the parts and characteristics we will ever, ever have. Let’s call them Concrete People. And, maybe others come into this world as the proverbial formless blob, relying on time, people, circumstances, situations, and random thoughts to help them realize themselves. Let’s call them Mutables. Truth to tell, we are all probably some fascinating mixture of “Crutable.”
Wait – I lost my point ...
Oh yeah. I guess it’s this: To get through this life, we need all of our parts. We need to plumb the rich loamy depths of our nature. All of the gifts from some dark, mysterious seed bed origins we remember only in our whispered dreams. All the characteristics, talents, emotions and instincts we bring into this world. And, we also need all of the things we learn, see, hear, taste, smell, touch, feel, realize, understand, hope, fear, love, hate, wish, resist, and believe. It is the amalgamation that informs who we are, and contributes to our humanity (or “inhumanity”). All these things help us to rise up and see something beautiful and worthy, or dark and suspect, in a sunset, a stranger, a book, a thought, a river, a song, a badger, a tower, a dream, or the eyes of a brother or sister on a similar journey.
In the end, what is most important: where we came from, or where we’re headed?
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3 comments:
I love the "crutable" concept. Interesting discussion of nurture vs nature. We need both, I think, to get where we're going successfully, no matter where we decide that destination's gonna be.
In my book, where you're heading is definitively more important than where you came from. The where you came from can explain why things are working for you or not; but there is always a choice of what to do next. Always.
Janie -
Thanks for visiting! Agreed on needing both. And, sometimes what is key is the ability to take advantage of both (in varying measures) when needed.
Esther!
Yes indeed. You cannot always control where you are coming from, and mostly it's water under the bridge. But, where you start informs where you end, as you say, the choices are yours. Always.
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