Relationship Between the Roles of Nature and Nurture in Human Development

Nature and Nurture
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Nature and Nurture
The question of what determines what people ultimately become is as fascinating as it is controversial. Some people believe that an individual's genetic constitution plays a pivotal role in determining the kind of people they become. Others’ opinions are at variance, for they believe that the environments people get exposed to have a profound bearing on shaping them. Yet others believe neither of the two should influence who a person becomes, but the choices we make. According to Dietrich (2010), a combination of both nature and nurture influences what people become, especially their decision-making. I witnessed this through my husband, who felt compelled to visit an uncle with whom he was not on good terms. This is because the element of compassion that runs in the family took precedence, regardless of the environment.
Roles of Nature and Nurture
Undeniably, both nature and nurture play a crucial role in human development. Genes mostly influence physical features such as height, skin color, and hair texture. They also affect behavioral and psychological characteristics (Baker, 2015). The characteristics include personality, intellectual ability, and the risk of such diseases as mental illnesses. Nurture, on the other hand, is all the objects and events we are exposed to throughout our lives that influence us every day. The story of my husband can best illustrate this point.
In July 2019, our family planned to visit the East Coast. My husband's father and his niece, together with a couple of friends, would be joining us. The itinerary would include landing in Hamilton, Ontario, then driving to Toronto the same day on two rented vehicles, staying there for two days, before traveling further north to Montreal and Quebec. A few days before our flight, however, I could sense a mixed feeling of trepidation and excitement on the part of my husband. He told me why. Hamilton is just three hours drive from Detroit, although in the opposite direction down south. He said he would like, if given a chance, to see his relatives – his uncle and his wife - who were living there. His uncle, strict and serious looking, was in his late 70's then. He used to work at GM's head office in Detroit as an engineer. He helped finance the education of many of his nephews and nieces, especially those close to him. But while he was not close to his uncle (his mom's eldest brother) when he was growing up as a teen, when he asked him for assistance during a time when his parents did not have the necessary funds to support his education, his uncle obliged. He paid for his tuition in Engineering.
His uncle owns tracts of farms in the Philippines, and among his tenant farmers were my husband's father and brothers. It is not unusual for property owners and tenants to have uneasy and often strained relationships, brought about by disagreements on issues covering sharing of crops, farming expenses, and many other factors. My husband was already residing in Canada when he learned that the animosity between his uncle and his own family had worsened to the point that his family was not allowed to till the land they had been farming for many years. Worse, his father and siblings had been forced to abandon the house they built on his uncle's property and dwelt on for more than 25 years. It was a painful moment for the family, especially for my husband, because his own funds were used to renovate, enlarge, and extend that house. They built it from scratch, and in their hearts, it was theirs, and suddenly - it was gone. His family in the Philippines had nowhere to live except on a makeshift hut built on leased land close to the main road. Out of funds coming from Canada, my husband's father was able to buy the leased land and build a new home.
On that day in 2019, when my husband told me he would like to visit Detroit before driving to Toronto, I knew his intended purpose. He had previously told me that while he felt bad about the eviction, he could not discount the fact that he owed his uncle part of why he became an engineer, that in spite of the things that happened that poisoned the relationship between their families, he remained grateful for the generosity that he extended so he could finish school, which in the end, also benefited his own family.
My husband contacted his uncle the next evening - telling him that we would be in Hamilton in a couple of days, and asked if we could visit them in Detroit. His uncle was surprised by the call and subsequent request but said yes and offered for us to sleep in their home.
My husband discussed his plan with his father and his niece, who have since immigrated to Canada. My husband understood why they did not want to join us in Detroit.
It was already late afternoon when we arrived at their brick home. We stayed at the dinner table until late in the evening. Lots of memories, stories, and words were shared, words that brought laughter. But also words that brought t...