Of the many components that - taken together- make up who each of us are as individuals, which would you willingly change? How possible is it to isolate any component enough to know if changing one would make a difference in the whole picture? Although this could be the ultimate in chicken and egg fantasizing, some of you have taken journeys like this with me before. How much would your answer to my first question be different if I asked you tomorrow?
Begin with the basics: Your age, gender, race, ethnic background, physical qualities and abilities, sexual orientation. Add in some important, impossible-to-change stuff from early in life: Where you land in the birth order, the way you were parented, where you were raised. Early economic bracket? Early education? Which of those basic or formative components would you willingly change, today?
Without muddying up the waters with the nature vs. nurture debate, now toss in a few of those fuzzier components like temperament and personality. And, although I assume many people would willingly change their intelligence given the opportunity, for me, that component is beyond fuzzy. The more I read, the less clear I am about which type of intelligence I would willingly change. Still, which of these three fuzzy or (beyond fuzzy) components would you willingly change, today?
Still left: Those critical components that often do shift over a lifetime, regardless of locus of control: Religious beliefs, economic bracket, later education, where you've lived, work history, your marital or parental status, friendships. Which of those critical components would you willingly change, today?
Today Pat picks willingly changing his place in the birth order. In a rare moment of clarity early this morning, I pictured how my life may have unfolded were I a middle or youngest child. As the day proceeded, I found myself liking this changed person I was watching. Then I began imagining the impact this change might have had on my subsequent experiences. It was an interesting day.
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
but what about the alternative. that we are not products of what has happened to us but how we have chosen to respond/ internalize those events? is that in the next post? :)
ReplyDeleteWell, my very smart daughter, it won't necessarily be in the next post, but ... it will appear in a future post. And, I'll have you to thank for reminding me.
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