The Human Puzzle

How did the cute little kid on the left become the grouchy old guy on the right?

Ever wonder how you came to be who you are? I mean, the kind of personality you have, the way you view the world around you, how you treat your friends (and enemies), and so on?

There are numerous studies and the issue has been heavily researched. The fight is always over Nature vs Nurture. The truth, and I think the research bears this out, is that it is a combination of the two. Therefore, the fight has been over which dominates the equation.

That, too, is silly. Neither dominates, neither is subordinate. It's a fluid equation. Take the simple math problem:

A+B=C

If we say C is anything other than 0 then whether A is greater than B is up for grabs. The same, I think, applies to the Nature vs Nurture issue. We may know what "C" is (who we are) but the value of "A" (Nature) and "B" (Nurture) remain unknown. Trying to determine those values is how psychiatrists and psychologists get rich.

And that is simply a blame game, anyway. Knowing which was more of a factor doesn't change anything about you. Besides, I think the influence of each varies throughout one's life.

Trust me. I have spent a good portion of my life trying to fix the blame for who I am on some one or some thing.

The problem is made even more complex when you consider that we eventually become self sufficient enough to influence our own end result. Now, that is truly a radical variable.

In the end, I suspect, we can only blame ourselves..