Pathwalking 159
You are not the product of your environment. Not unless you choose to be.
I get to choose who I am. I get to decide what kind of person I am, what kind of person I want to be.
No matter my upbringing, the environment in which I live, the social circles in which I interact, I alone am wholly responsible for who I am and who I want to be.
There are a lot of messages out there, often espousing that certain groups of people are bad. Whether that is defined by skin color, religion, gender, nationality or what-have-you, groups of people are being lumped together for the purposes of scapegoating and disenfranchisement.
The thing is, we are all individuals. We are not products of any certain doctrines unless we choose to be. We can choose what kind of a person we want to be, and we can choose whom we wish to be associated with along the way as well.
Let’s begin with a paradox. Nobody’s perfect, and everybody’s perfect. Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. We are all terribly flawed, but at the same time we are all completely perfect.
How can that be? These are opposites, you can only be one or the other. Are you who you want to be? Are you happy with who you are, or at work on altering the things you want to change? Are you aware of yourself, what you want, what you are thinking? You are a singular creature, a singular intelligence, and in your own makeup you are perfect.
You are also imperfect at the same time. You see someone wealthier, healthier, with a better job or in possession of something you are not. You need to gain or lose a few pounds, you need to make changes in your lifestyle. Flaws to be corrected.
The question is – are these flaws your imperfections, or the perceptions of imperfections on the part of others?
Because we have this amazing ability to control change and to choose for ourselves whom we are and who we wish to be, we are inherently perfect. There are no other animals on this planet who can make such diverse choices (that we are aware of). Our lives are not just survival and continuation of the species, our lives involve growth, change, discovery and expansion.
People see a certain environment and instantly see all who are a part of it to be similar. Even though there is a wide range if disparity amongst those within a given environment they are often still all lumped together. How many people do this with, for example, Muslims, women and homosexuals as groups?
The thing is, just because you are a woman or a Muslim or a homosexual does not mean you are like any other within that particular environment. You are unique, you are perfectly imperfect in your own ways. But more importantly, you choose how you are associated with that group or not.
Deeper than this, how we have been raised by our parents and caregivers may have initial influence in both who we are and who we will be. What escapes a lot of people is that once you are aware of yourself, you can now choose who this makes you.
What does that mean? Do you choose to be a victim or a victor? Do you blame your life circumstances on your parents or others or do you live as you would best choose?
There is never one true way. I have emphasized that all throughout the Pathwalking process. My way is not your way, your way is not his way or her way and so on. What IS universal to it all is that we have choices. There IS a way, there is another way, and we can choose to be in control…or not.
It is important for us each to realize that we are not a product of our environment. While we may take some comfort in being lumped in with a certain group or groups, we must not allow that environment to overcome our personal identity. It is far too easy to get lost in the background, and as such to lose the path.
Yes I am referring to the idea of environment from two distinctly different applications. Nevertheless, the statement remains the same. You are not a product of your environment, unless you choose to be. Take this into consideration when you view others, and before you wind up passing judgments. It is amazing just how important this notion is, and what it can mean to you.
Do you view yourself as a victim, or do you have accountability for who you are and would choose to be?
This is the one-hundred fifty ninth entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first fifty-two weeks (Year One) of installments of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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