Today's MOZEN: Nature-Nurture-Choice

Words and photo by F LoBuono

All of us have a part of our personalities that we call our nature. It is the aspect of our behavior that comes most easily to us, i.e. we don't think about it, we just react. It is simply within us. We are born with it.

Now, the range of our so-called nature is vast. Some of us are naturally boisterous while others remain always calm. Some display a gentle demeanor while others are more aggressive. We can be lazy by nature or self-motivated. There seems to be no end to the variety of "natural" human behaviors.

It's how we develop our nature over time that makes us what we are in the world. This is called nurture.

It can be more difficult to balance the two than meets the eye. The can often be in conflict. Part of being a successful human being is to be in touch with who we really our at our core. For example, at mine, I am an extrovert. I enjoy being "out there" and engaging with people. And, I am comfortable with that. I also know many people who are introverted - they most often prefer their own company. Of course, there is no "right" or "wrong" with either behavior. It just IS. However, to be a complete person, we should develop those behaviors in us that may not be our strong suit but, in the long run, will serve us well. For example, because I am an extrovert, I am not always the best listener. And, to be a better man I need to improve this behavior. I must work at nurturing that trait. It is not always easy - it is not my nature. So, I have to work at it. And, make no mistake, change does not seem to come easily to we humans. We tend to always trust in our nature. Altering that is very frightening to most. But, to improve our own condition and that of our planet, we must.

However, some don't seem to be able to overcome their nature, even when it is in their best interest to do so. These people I call The Haters. Simple hating seems to be what comes most easily to them. They don't think about it, they just do - even when it makes little or no sense. These are the people who would deny gravity exists preferring to say we stay on the ground simply because the world just sucks! We see them on social media all of the time. They never bring a positive thing to any argument and often disagree simply for the sake of making things difficult.

A prime example of this type of nature is the intense, and often personal attacks on President Barrack Obama. One can disagree politically with the President without exposing him to the type of vitriol that he too often is. So much of the criticism of the President is unfocused and often racially motivated. And, he is not the only one. Most political figures are subject to this type of "hating".

Again, I suppose we can call it human nature - we tend to idolize our heroes before we love seeing them fall. But, it doesn't have to be this way because we can THINK. We can recognize what part of our nature causes us to feel a certain way. Then, when we do, we can CHOOSE to nurture that behavior OR change it. If we decide to honor our nature because it is the right thing to do, then we should. However, if it brings us to more hateful place, we might want to consider changing.

We must.