Being Part 4

The nurture side, which has been estimated to account for about 60- 70 % of who we turn out to be. Even though Dr. Watson thought of us as being a blank slate, we’re not. The intrauterine and subsequent birth begins the environmental process. As a result of parental caretaking, it’s believed that personality is formed prior to attending elementary school. We’re subjected to many personalities, activities, and interpersonal relationships within the culture. Radio, TV, movies, and electronic devices bombard us as well. Maybe there’s college, marriage, careers, children, divorce, unemployment, health issues, military service, etc. etc. throughout our life space. No wonder it’s difficult to attain a self-satisfying life. Forget about seeking happiness; and stop chasing illusions and/or fairytales. In summary, being or one’s essence is about growth, evolvement and development, as opposed to decay. This translates into eliminating “I used to,” “I remember when,” “in the good old good days,” “when I was …,” Growing old is not for sissies,” “I can’t run because my knees hurt ...etc. etc. etc.” from speech. Growth entails nurturing the mind and body in the present with both realistic aspirations and expectations along with future goals. A keyword is realistic. Producing, creating, giving to others, making things better and working out both the mind and body are paramount. The cliché “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” is true. There will likely come a time when decay becomes reality with a return to the earth. Just before, look back with a smile on your face, and that’s called integrity. Cofer, C. N. and Appley, M. H. Motivation: Theory and Research, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind, HarperCollins.