To What Extent does the World Shape Us?


We as people are so heavily influenced by the world around us. Where one lives, goes to school, who their parents are, and economic status all shape what values are instilled in a person. A person is molded by his or her surroundings from the time that they are born. In this way, much of the time a person is fated to become what their society or immediate surroundings dictate. For example, I have been growing up in an affluent community where education is extremely important and it is expected that I receive good grades and attend college. In other places around the world this is not the case. It really depends on what the community a person lives in. Values, customs, traditions, and expectations vary tremendously throughout the world. Living in such a homogenous community I tend to forgot that many people around the world do not have the same aspirations that we do on the Northshore. The overwhelming sense of materialism and consumerism that permeates where we live dictates our perceptions of other people, what we aspire to, and who we feel is beneath us. However, as much as our community shapes us its also just our innate personality that shapes the way we live. I believe that it is a combination of both nature and nurture that define us as people.