IL

Nature vs. Nurture

According to psychology, we have two major theatres of influence in our lives: nature and nurture. Nature is our family, our genes, and our values. Nurture includes anything and everything in our environment--communities, technology, religion, culture, our friends, society, and even obnoxious TV commercials. 

Interesting, isn't it, how everything and anybody we come in contact with influences our thoughts, actions, emotions, and behavior. I wonder how different our lives would be if we weren't so easily influenced, or if we weren't influenced at all. 

However, without any external influences, would we even be able to develop and change at all? I don't believe we could. Everything we come in contact with, including other people, helps mold us into who we are as individual people. As a result, we are constantly changing and evolving into someone else, hopefully someone greater.