Nature, Nurture Maketh the Child

As much as I am intrigued by scientific discoveries I must say I am easily seduced by music, art, crafts and language. So seated snugly on a red velvet-covered chair in one of Dublin’s oldest theatres, I waited with baited breath for the tale of the tragic Blood Brothers to unfold. Willy Russell based this musical on the 1844 novella The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas, Père.

The story revolves around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie who separated at birth rose to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Eddie became an Oxbridge-graduated councillor and Mickey was unemployed and landed in prison. This brings to mind the ageless debate of nature vs. nurture in determining individual differences in physical and behavioural traits. ‘Nature’ refers to the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities while nature refers to personal experiences and circumstances. There seems to be a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation, which comes from the inside of an individual, and nature. Call it strength of character but an intrinsically motivated person will work on a solution to a problem because the challenge of finding a solution provides a sense of pleasure.

The unexplainable genetic factor in the making of a genius has been explored greatly on the big screen. In the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ we see an example of how a janitor at MIT is a genius at math and chemistry despite his blue-collar roots. In ‘Homeless to Harvard’ we see how a homeless and orphaned teenager made it to Harvard. In reality, there are countless examples of rags to riches stories that celebrate resilience and determination. It is often said that those born before 1960 know the meaning of want, hard work and success.

Take Bill Cullen, a successful entrepreneur for example. The eldest of 14 children, he was born into poverty in Dublin but today his net worth stands at 34million euros and he has gone a far way from selling apples on a street at five years of age.

That said, behaviourists will argue that nurturing makes all the difference in determining the final outcome. These experts claim that any child given proper guidance and opportunities will excel. 

Nurturing is also very much linked to extrinsic motivation or dangling the carrot before the horse tactic to produce results. It is also influenced by positive reinforcement , examples of which are encouragement and praises. I can see a big difference in the way children are encouraged in creches and schools here. For every small effort made that is age appropriate, the carers let fly compliments like ‘brilliant’, ‘clever girl’ and ‘good job’. I honestly cannot remember when any teacher had been so lavish with encouraging comments in my school days.

 On the other extreme end of the scale, we have examples of how young people nurtured by a supportive environment, squander away the inheritance left behind by the generations before them. This could possibly be the basis for an old Chinese proverb that states that “Wealth does not sustain beyond three generations”

 I recently purchased a Gunnera manicata plant which looks like a giant rhubarb. A native of Brazil it grows best by a pond. There is neither Brazilian climate where I live nor a pond in the garden to ensure its steady growth and the best I could do is to simulate a pond like environment. The last time I checked, the giant rhubarb was flourishing in all its splendour.

That said, I also grew an array of tomato plants. I tood great care in feeding them and giving them the best spots in the garden. Sadly, despite all the right conditions, the leaves look sickly and the tomatoes are smallish. Plants like children come from different varieties and need to be properly nurtured. So, that brings me to my concluding question:

Which has more bearing on a child’s development, environment or genetics?

 A bit of both I must say.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/nature-nurture-maketh-the-child-1.129247

Being Part of the Universe

The universe has always fascinated me and from a young age I have always wondered why I am put on this earth; why there is life on earth; why the earth is given so much significance. There are so many ‘whys’ that I have no answers but that does not stop me from being amazed to be given a chance of be part of the borderless universe.

So, stepping into a mobile planetarium was the closest I could get to see the universe in all its splendour, albeit for a brief twenty minutes. The mobile planetarium was set up in the Scouts Hall in Killaloe in conjunction with the annual Brian Boru Celebrations to commemorate Brian Ború ‘s kingship one millennium ago. During his reign, Brian extended and strengthened his fort in Killaloe and turned it into the well known Royal Palace of Kincora.

Finding a cosy spot in the six metre dome, I lay down with my significant other and scores of other enthusiasts to view the 360 degree perspective of the universe. Gazing at the stars, I could see how man in his creativity has come up with star patterns. Familiar ones are the Big Dipper, Ursa Major, The Great Bear, Ursa Minor The Little Bear and Orion, The Hunter.

Because of the magnanimity of the unknown, we give credit to the universe for things that we cannot logically explain. The often quoted phrase ‘It’s all written in the stars’ illustrates something good which is caused by the power that controls what happens to people’s lives. Shakespeare described Romeo and Juliet as ‘star-crossed’ lovers. Juliet says, "Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine…” (Act III, Sc. II) In Chinese mythology there is also a story of two lovers, Nguu Lang and Chuc Nu kept apart by the Milky Way. Chuc Nu was the daughter of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven while Nguu Lang was a cowherd. The Jade Emperor warned them of their liason and banised Nguu Lang to the other side of the Milky Way, and the two lovers could only meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. The birds from all over the world would unite, and form a bridge so that Chuc Nu and Nguu Lang could cross and be together again for just a day. Chuc Nu and Nguu Lang in the legend are both immortalised in the form of two beautiful stars. Chuc Nu is Vega of the constellation Lyra, and Nguu Lang is the bright Altair of Aquila. Both of these stars can be seen in the summer, when together with Deneb they form the familiar summer triangle in the Northern Hemisphere night sky.

When we stand in the vast universe, we cannot help but feel very small. We cannot help but realise that everything is transient, alive one day and gone the next. Yet, we are part of the scheme, part of the big picture that we call creation. And to think that there was a time when man thought that he was the centre of the universe and that the sun revolved around him. I stand corrected. There are still people who think they own the earth when we see irresponsible acts around us. How else can we explain the animal litter everywhere on public sidewalks? And we are not even the discussing the bigger issues like the indiscriminate felling of trees, harnessing of power, mining of natural resources and disposing of refuse. There are still people who treat others shabbily. We have egocentric people who are over preoccupied with their own internal world. They regard their own opinions or interests as most important or valid. We have ethnocentric people who believe that their own group or culture is superior to others. These can be strangers, relatives or even friends who continue to rob, to cheat and to put others down and still get away with it. There are still people who will do anything to advance their own lot in the name of prosperity, power and progress. Stabbing another in the back to get ahead is as old as the hills. If we are part of the universe, then what is our stance? Stars have life spans and they burn out. If we cannot save the stars from burning out, at least we should learn to appreciate the earth and its inhabitants.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/being-part-of-the-universe-1.123877