In the Genius in All of Us David Shenk states that our environment could affect the way we grow up. Like clay we are molded by our environment. It’s interesting how a child could turn out to be if he were raised in a different environment. Something interesting popped into my mind though. From the moment we are born we are shaped by our environment. We are bounded by what we come to live and accept what we deem true. We all live in what we believe to be our own reality. But what exactly is reality and truth? Is knowledge and awareness vague? Are they better yet called illusions?
I myself believe that even though we are shaped and molded by our environment, it’s up to us if we stay bounded by how we have been raised. Even if we are raised by different environments we can still choose what becomes of us no matter the circumstance. That aspect of us doesn't define who we are because as humans we are given the choice to choose what we deem true. Some cases though are different because being born into a strict, conservative family means you have no idea of your own truth rather you have one of your families. Our own individual world isn't an illusion because if it were, we would be able to manipulate it and change it to the way we wanted it to be. We wouldn't have our own set of ideals to fight for if we could change anything we wanted to without any effort.
I agree with what you are saying, the environment can shape us, but it is still up to us to change and adapt by choosing what to think. But I also believe that how we think is partly related to the environment we are raised in and this helps form our opinions and desires for life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our environment will always hold a big part of our way of thinking. People who live fortunate lives usually live their lives in arrogance. When we believe we are suffering in our daily lives, we never try to imagine that other people have it worse than us.
DeleteI believe that education actually holds a bigger effect on us than we'd like to believe. Although our genes are important too, our environment makes us think through our past experiences not through the naked eye.