Friday 22 February 2013

Nature vs Nurture, Environment vs Self


Can we change? Can we really change our selves and/or our environment for the better or is our fate and the fate of the earth set in stone?
There are so many questions, are we the product of our genes?
Can our happiness and success be ruined for ever by a lack of nurture?
Can we nurture our selves back to happiness and success?
Is it too late to nurture nature back to life?
How much does our environment impact on our selves?
How much does our self impact on nature and our environment?

The WWF Living Planet Report  (16/10/2010) key finding was -
‘Humanity’s demands exceed our planet’s capacity to sustain us. That is, we ask for more than what we have.’

If the scientists are correct the rising sea levels, destructive weather, dying out of species and loss of bio diversity are all the by products of human over consumption.
We need to change but is that possible? Let us take a closer look at the above questions.

Are we the product of our genes?
 Well yes we are, to survive we require certain things and our genes have within them the blueprint to create our ability to function in our environment. But that basic blueprint is the foundation on which we create ourselves, it is not ‘just’ what we are.
Can our happiness and success be ruined for ever by a lack of nurture?
 Yes, I believe one who has never been nurtured or has never nurtured themselves will never believe in their right for happiness and success and the destruction of their self will impact on their environment in a destructive way.
Can we nurture our selves back to happiness and success?
 Yes, I know we can, I believe The Map is just one of the many different methods available to open that path up. There are hundreds of free self help blogs where people have detailed their own paths back from the shadows of their demons.
Is it too late to nurture nature back to life?
 No, The WWF report’s one uplifting finding is that in countries that had previously destroyed much of their bio diversity, mainly the western world, that during the period their report covers there has been a 30% growth in some bio diversity.
How much does our environment impact on our selves?
 When I qualified as a nurse for people with learning disabilities (mentally handicapped people) it was at the time of the closing down of the institutions under the Care in the Community scheme. People who had lived in institutions all their lives who had been ‘managed’ by being tied to their bed and left in their own waste were suddenly moved to lovely houses, had their own bedrooms, received quality care, and were able to access the rest of the community, cinemas, bowling alleys, a pub lunch etc etc. So how does one take a damaged human being reduced to an existence of a caged animal, who in one case I know of had bitten off fingers of his previous Jailers/carers and return them to humanity? The answer is nurture them, teach them, value their existence, support good behaviour, withdraw support during bad behaviour (as opposed to punishment). The proof nurture works can be found in the care in the community system, in which one can also find the proof that if one can improve one’s environment one can beneficially impact one’s life.
How much does our self impact on nature and our environment?
 Here, in my opinion is the key to the future, understanding that each and every one of us has an impact on nature and our immediate environment, if we can learn the art of living with less consumption the more we can expand the self. Consuming stuff has become the norm to prop up who we are, but that outer show of stuff just detracts from our ‘self’, Why? Well if consuming stuff really made us happy why does one need to consume even more stuff the next day?
The art of nurturing a life consuming less is the way to expand the self and positively impact on your environment. It is doing what you can and with a little bit of luck will help to turn down the earth’s thermostat.
I believe what ever has happened in the past we can change our self and our environment for the better. It just takes the will to try.
Our fate is not set in stone, we have choice.





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