First I should probably apologize for my lack of blogs...the end of the semester was very busy for me, but I made some notes about things I observed and am going to try to put them out here while I'm on break.
The other day while I was at a restaurant I noticed an older married couple sitting at the table next to me. They didn't seem particularly happy...they weren't looking at each other or even talking to each other. Then, once their salads arrived I noticed something a bit more interesting about them. They both unwrapped their straws, rolled the paper up in a little ball and set it in the center of the table. Next, they both unfolded their napkins and laid it over just one leg. Then, they mixed the dressing into their salads the same way. These similarities went on as their meal continued, all the while they weren't even looking at each other. As usual, this got me thinking...
The classic nature vs. nurture battle: How many of our actions and emotions are learned because of the people we are always around and how many are actually unique to ourselves? If nurture were the winner, at least one person of the married couple from the restaurant has not always rolled their straw wrapper into a little ball. One would have picked it up from the other without realizing it, and so it would be with many of the things they do. However, if nature were superior to nurture, it would all just be a coincidence.
Personally, I am inclined to believe that nurture reigns supreme in this case. However, I also believe that if you are aware of an action or a personal quirk that you believe is unique to yourself and then you meet someone else whom you discover has that same quirk, you will be more likely to be compatible with that person. In other words, maybe our natural actions attract us to people and as our relationships develop, the nurtured actions keep them strong. Maybe there is no battle between nature and nurture, and they have really just been working together all along.
