This is such a thought-provoking post. One the one hand, especially after reading a lot lately about determinism, I agree with this idea because there do seem to be highly deterministic biological realities at work in our lives and so there are constraints to who/how we can be. But, on the other hand, I'm thinking about the way that people sometimes talking about humans having both "hardware" and "software" in the sense that we are highly acculturated beings and a given cultural influence can dictate our personal evolution and self-expression. So, if I am actually an acorn, would I be the same oak tree growing up in 1600s China as I would be in 2000s NYC? Probably not, right? But is there still some core acorn-ness to me? It seems like there is but I'm not sure exactly what it is.
Thank you for your kind words Gretchen. And also for your thoughtful comment. And please excuse my slightly-late reply. I haven’t been online as much lately…… I totally feel you on the same oak in different environments. Trees DO grow differently in different environments. And their roots grow deeper when there is space for them. So, absolutely, the environment plays a big role in our self-expression. Even with similar talents, children whose creative talents are encouraged thrive more, while some other child who has been discounted will feel lost. In that sense, there is no “surety” that we will automatically become oak trees, even if we are an acorn. …. I also feel you on the fact that you sense the acorn-ness, but you don’t know exactly what that is. I used to feel this very distinctly when I was younger. And even now many times. How do I know what’s the pattern inside me? The older I grow, I feel like maybe we find just a bit of that pattern at a time and we find it by listening to the small moments - of connection, of happiness, of flow - and doing more of what made them happen. And also, just doing things and putting them out into the world, so there’s some ping back, and we learn about ourselves through this sounding-back process.
This is such a thought-provoking post. One the one hand, especially after reading a lot lately about determinism, I agree with this idea because there do seem to be highly deterministic biological realities at work in our lives and so there are constraints to who/how we can be. But, on the other hand, I'm thinking about the way that people sometimes talking about humans having both "hardware" and "software" in the sense that we are highly acculturated beings and a given cultural influence can dictate our personal evolution and self-expression. So, if I am actually an acorn, would I be the same oak tree growing up in 1600s China as I would be in 2000s NYC? Probably not, right? But is there still some core acorn-ness to me? It seems like there is but I'm not sure exactly what it is.
Thank you for your kind words Gretchen. And also for your thoughtful comment. And please excuse my slightly-late reply. I haven’t been online as much lately…… I totally feel you on the same oak in different environments. Trees DO grow differently in different environments. And their roots grow deeper when there is space for them. So, absolutely, the environment plays a big role in our self-expression. Even with similar talents, children whose creative talents are encouraged thrive more, while some other child who has been discounted will feel lost. In that sense, there is no “surety” that we will automatically become oak trees, even if we are an acorn. …. I also feel you on the fact that you sense the acorn-ness, but you don’t know exactly what that is. I used to feel this very distinctly when I was younger. And even now many times. How do I know what’s the pattern inside me? The older I grow, I feel like maybe we find just a bit of that pattern at a time and we find it by listening to the small moments - of connection, of happiness, of flow - and doing more of what made them happen. And also, just doing things and putting them out into the world, so there’s some ping back, and we learn about ourselves through this sounding-back process.