I came up with this theory in high school.
There are five known inputs to the human mind. These are the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting. I believe that we are all born equal. We all start from ground zero. From the moment we are born, these inputs begin making their impression on our minds. These inputs are a direct result of the environment that we are born into and from our experiences in that environment.
Ultimately, it is those inputs that shape us into the people that we are. From the day we are born until the day we die we continuously see, hear, smell, feel, and taste things.
The outputs of the human mind are all the things that we think, say, and do. It is these things that define who we are, and they are based on our character. Our character in turn, is based on the environment that we have lived in up to the present moment.
That explains how I arrived at a theory that people are a product of their environment. Every thought that a person has, every word that a person speaks, and every action that a person takes is a direct result of that person's past environment. There is a distinct division/separation between body and mind. The body does no more than provide inputs – through the senses – to the mind. The inputs create the character, and the character is responsible for the outputs.
Although it is possible to clone a person, it is impossible to duplicate the environment in which an individual’s character develops. This is what makes us all unique. Each character is unique because he/she has had different experiences in a different environment.
Strangely enough, it is the bad experiences we have in life that strengthen our character the most. But, this is only true if we develop the tools to handle those situations in our early years.
When an individual is down from day one and that individual never has a chance to develop the tools to handle difficult situations, the growing process may end at an early age.
I am grateful to my mother for whatever talents I have. It is the love and care that she gave to me in my early years that enabled me to grow into the person that I am.
An essential tool that every child should acquire at an early age is the ability to forgive. Being raised in a Christian family where we went to church every Sunday, I learned early on that forgiveness is the staple of the Christian faith.
At some point, a child must learn to stand on his own feet and make his own decisions. When that happens, a child's character starts to determine his/her thoughts, words and actions. Until that time an infants only output is to cry and he/she does little more than gather the inputs from the five senses.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how we become who we are. It seems you are saying that each and every thing we experience as we move through life becomes a determining factor in forming our identity. I agree with you that those early experiences, whether loving and nurturing or abusive and neglectful, have a most profound effect. However, we also begin each life incarnation with all the experiences and character we have known and developed in preceding lifetimes. We often think of karma as something negative, but I like to remember that the same karmac principle means I also brought along all the strengths I created in those previous lives. This helps me meet some of the "challenges" presented to me in this current environment.
Welcome to the portal. Happy to meet you,
JoyAnna
This is a theory that I developed back in the 80's - before I even knew there was such a thing as Karma. I was looking at life as if we were machines. That was before I realized that we are all divine beings. Besides Karma, I also left out the influence that divine guidance can have on our lives and I now believe we all have a sixth sense.
With Love,
David
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