I've been thinking quite a bit about influence, lately. How much do influence and environment play a role in who we are? Do I form certian opinions because that's me and that's how my brain works, or because that's what I've been taught?
I would venture to guess that over 80% of Americans have the same, maybe not exact, political stance as their parents. Am I a fairly conservative republican because my parents are? Or have I clearly thought this through in my head and formed my own opinions? Would I be a democrat if my family and close friends were, too?
How about religion? Many people grow up a certian religion and follow it through to adulthood. It's not just a coincidince, so I guess what I'm really trying to figure out is how much do the poeple around us, whom we spend time with, influence us?
Obviously, some of us are born with certian traits. Some of us introverts, some extroverts. But opinions, beliefs and ways we express them are not neccesarily hereditary or inborn. So, how do I know who I truly am, and what I believe just because I was taught it?
I think the answer to these questions is probably, in most cases, a realistic balance between both. Of course, influence plays a big role in shaping us, although there are certian things about each of us that most environments couldn't change.
~Sarah
