Nuture v Nature

The loud peel of laughter from all the others gathered in the room, as I had blurted out my innocent, reflective comment, was probably what caused the volatile reaction, rather than the comment itself. Those moments, when everyone who laughed aloud spontaneously, has suddenly stopped laughing, as they realise the axe is going to fall, ….. again! On me, … again!

Let it not be said that we did not judge the world, based upon our personal experiences. That we examined what we saw, and thought, using our environment and education. A true combination of the age-old argument for ‘Nuture versus Nature’. Both, were involved. You could say we were ‘nutured’ to observe. And, with most of our family, to comment, on what we saw or thought. It was a part of the ‘nature’ of our families’ make-up. Of course, that is not what the argument of ‘Nurture versus Nature’ is about. How much happens due to genetics, and what happens with the effect of the environment. It is probably unfortunate that if evolution does have it right, that change, due to natural environment is so slow. Otherwise, not only would I have developed the quick mind I possessed, I may also have possessed the equally swift feet and legs. Though, given that argument, my father would probably have developed extra-ordinary long arms and very wide and hard surfaced hands (If you catch my drift).

The comment regarding my father’s age was entirely innocent. Brief, and innocent. The aftermath was not. Despite the best efforts of my mother, to ‘cajole’ my father (that it was not necessary to ‘ban him for life’ from the television), due to the accidental inference he had taken to my comment. It was with what appeared to be great hurt, that my father told me to leave the room. And felt the others in their laughter were scorning all he set out to achieve. I was probably lucky it was late in the afternoon and raining, so there were no specific tasks he would assign me to, but it was the regret I felt later, reviewing what I had said, and understanding what had caused him to feel some hurt.

The comment must have stirred some guilt in him. He was not that old. Even now I am some twelve years older than he was at the time. I am however very aware of the effect of which age is starting to affect my physical body. But I am constantly doing something about it. Changing my diet, regular exercise. I do not drink and have not had a cigarette in the last 14 years. Perhaps, part of his guilt, raised by my remark, was based on the fact he did not seem to consider these things. He had been raised differently, and as I said to him on many occasions in the later years. “I wanted to change what was wrong. I wanted to change what I had been shown, that I thought was wrong, and do it differently”. There was always something to learn from the ‘Nurture’ side of the debate.

(Continued tomorrow)