What Makes Us Who We Are

A lot of editorials and news reports place the blame for some individual's personal failing upon something that happened during their formative years. "He can't help stealing because he's poor" or "He can't help being violent because he was raised by gangs or he was beat by his parents." It's a way of excusing someone from the responsibility of our actions because we can't help it. Similar to the old statement "the Devil made me do it."

I've always felt that's a cop out - taking the easy road. It ignores the fact that others, with those same influences who don't do those same things. Moreover, what a sad worldview - to be stuck because of where and how you grew up and have no power to change it.

Well, I don't buy it. Self-determination is critical to us as human beings. My belief is that as human beings, there are three things that make us who we are.

1 We all have physical bodies - with physiological properties. We have biological imperatives that drive us. We have physical reactions that can drive our behaviour. In addition, we can have disorders, brain injuries, chemical imbalances, etc. that can affect our mental state.

2 We all live in an environment. All of us, regardless of who we are, have a unique set of circumstances that provide us with the information we learn from. We learn from our parents, our teachers, various leaders and the people we listen to. We even gain insight from the living world around us. This affects us, educates us, and demonstrates how the world is to us. And it is unique. Even within the same family, brothers will have completely different environments. I have an older brother - my parents were different with their interations with me. Even in school with the same teachers - my experience with a teacher started with their perception of me in relation to my brother. Yet we had different friends, jobs, skills, etc

3 We all make choices. We choose what we will do. This item to me is the absolute most critical - and often left out by many philosophers discussing human behavior. Regardless of my physiological self, and my experience, I can choose to do something outside of what my environment or physiology drives. THis is how people can rise above their circumstances and do something outside what might be expected. This can be good or bad. Juast because someone grew up in the perfect environment and health, doesn't mean he can't choose to behave poorly.

In the end, regardless of who we are, we can make a difference in our own lives. We can choose to be different.