Said the father to the daughter, “You have your mother’s qualities. Thats is why you raise the bar always.”

Said the mother to the daughter, “Not really, I think each one of us have our innate qualities; and ofcouse, some that are imbibed.”

Said the daughter to herself, “Well!! My mother echoed what I thought. Now, the similarity in thinking between my mother and me, is this innate to each one of us and we are just connected in our thinking? Or have I imbibed the thinking pattern of my mother?”

Qualities, traits, characteristics or attributes, or values as one may say.

Is it possible to think of a quality, trait, characteristic, attribute or value that we have never wavered away from?

Let us dive deep with a few examples of these..

– Honest

– Sensitive

– Resilient

– Optimistic

–  Punctual

– Progressive

– Independent

– Calm

And this list could go on…

Well, all these words that I have listed are from a poitive angle.. Is my approach innate or imbibed? or in other words – is it due to my nature or the way I was nurtured? Food for thought indeed!!!

If I can call any of these qualities (or any other not listed here) as present in most experiences in life, can I then call it my nature?

If any of these qualities, I change sometime in my life due to the suggestion, advice, feedback from others, can I say that I was nurtured by a certain environment?

Can I say that I was born with a specific nature? The first few years of my life, I don’t know how I was. What people around me tell me, is what I know.

They tell me, “From infancy / childhood, this is your nature.”  And then some say, “The child learns when in the womb. So parents need to think well.”

Foetus, infancy, early childhood – which is from conception to about 6 years – where  and when do the qualities (to name a few) – honesty, resilience, optimism, sensitivity, calmness do we display proactively and with a carefully thinking mind?

If it was hidden or not visisble till 7 years (including in the fetal stage) and surfaces itself after that, is it nature in a late manifestation? or is it nurture that manifests, due to years of observation of others displaying these qualities, traits, characteristics, attributes or values?

Diving deeper..

Looking back over that last many years of my life, I can see that no quality, trait, value, attribute or characteristic was held absolute. Though some held their ground in most experiences. Can I then call those which held their ground, as my nature?

At the same time, some traits, values, qualities, attributes or characteristics evolved with experiences, which involved people. Can I call these as being nurtured in different environments?

The more I mull over this, the more I am clear..

To look at myself as a combination of nature and nurture. This finds me in gratitude for all that I have been given.

But then the question pops up – when I find myself in gratitude in most experiences, is it my nature or the way I was nurtured?

Well, some questions always find us seeking!!! Human ‘nature’ is to seek (no pun intended) 🙂