Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?

Hey WordPress, we have certainly skirted around this type of question before, and it is as complex now as it was back then.

It really is a massive subject, worthy of a thesis, I reckon.

Surely, it starts with genetics. Not just parents, but going back some. We all have heard about ‘ things’ missing a generation and showing up further down the line.

How ‘ together’ separately or alone the parents, guardians are in themselves. The behaviours they portray are for some time going to have an influence on a young soul.

The environment we grow up in. How varied that can be.

And that’s just the start, isn’t it? The complex nature of families, their personalities, characters and intelligence are there for little ones to soak up or repel.

Some kids get a good start, and others don’t stand a chance from the off.

Education and schooling then have factors to consider. There are going to be issues over  any interest taken in the child by everyone. Their natural abilities were noticed or not. Their peers, their teachers, they all have their own issues which can come into play.

Putting aside any conditioning, what about the nature of the child. Is there anyone to give thought and time to nurture that. To help it grow? Are their siblings, is their rivalry?

And in that forced ( probably) educational environment where does one stand, to the back? To the forefront? Kids can be cruel.

Getting into a workplace, the right path, can be dependent on so many factors. Luck, courage, ability, assistance, nurturing, or neglect, to name a few.

Ongoing support or not during early adulthood. Sent feral or closeted?

A child may have an inate sense of self and inherited gene that helps to shape them in a positive manner.

There may be underlying medical issues, which affect a personality to some degree.

You can see where I’m going with this? It can take a very long time to get totally comfortable in one’s own skin.

Adulthood brings experiences good and bad, and it’s how those are handled that can leave a mark.

How fragile, how complex we are….

A favourite quote of mine from David Bowie   ( 1947~2016)  of growing older an ‘extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been’.

Giving yourself the chance to forever  grow and learn and shape-shift. To do away with out- dated thoughts and ideas. To continually update oneself. They must be the keys?

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi