Winning Words 2/27/12
“It is what it is, but it will become what you make it.” (Sent by Marilyn Oaks) It has long been debated…”What is it that makes us what we are? Nurture or Nature?” The idea is explored in Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest,” and by Darwin. Success in school is often equated with a stable home environment. I should ask a geneticist. Read again the quote for today. What do you think? Can you “make” your life? ;-) Jack.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON: Actually, a provocative question. Seems to me, if I really try to be honest, that each choice I make is still following, following a God I believe to be loving and Who tells me to trust and do the kinds of acts like in a million Bible stories or sometimes do nothing, take last place, and be patient or else sometimes following a punishing God, who causes me to make a confession somehow to Him or to someone and try to sort things out. Don't believe I "make" my life and believe my home environment just had more to do with teaching me to know God, Who makes my life. I was on loan to my parents and thankful it was them. They were followers too. ////FROM JACK: One of my goals, as I write WWs, is to get readers to think! In your case, I THINK I've done that.

FROM PASTY PAT: Back in the early 70's, when we adopted a one-year old and a newborn, I firmly believed it was mostly 'nurture'. Forty years later, having located and integrated the bio-parents of one of our kids into our family, it appears to be a combination of the two --- but all parties involved are now leaning toward 'nature'!////FROM JACK: I appreciate hearing from one who has experienced both nature and nurture as a first-hand experience.

FROM SAINT JAMES: I don't believe we are total control of our lives, but we are in total control of how we perceive it and what we do to shape what is under our control.////FROM JACK: Sometimes I think that I'm in control, and then something happens to bring me back to reality.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: I think each of us comes into this world with certain physical characteristics, and by nurture we can make the most from what nature gave us to start with. The ultimate result of who we become depends on what we put into it. Each of us must decide what we will do with our lives. As I believe you have said to me in the past, "Not to decide is to decide!"////FROM JACK: Much of who we are is determined by which gene pool we swim in...and where we decide to go when we climb out.

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: ........both nature and nurture.////FROM JACK: .....and G-d.

FROM RG IN ARIZONA: I think this issue addresses the concepts of Freedom and Responsibility --- in their true forms of meaning. Freedom, as different from Liberty; and Responsibility, different from Accountability. We have the "ability to respond" (Response + ability) , and we do so "freely" (Freedom). Much like in the story of Job, he was not always in control of his circumstances, but he was always in control to determine his responses to them. In short, we choose our responses freely. To these we are held accountable. Grace can be considered more the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If you're interested in a great book that highlights the first-hand account of this, read: Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. ////FROM JACK: Yes, Viktor has a great story to tell. Part of the humanness of Jesus is that he had the freedom to choose.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Maybe it's the sin nature and God's environment.////FROM JACK: There seem to be a lot of "maybes" in life...or a lot of "whatifs." When Marco Polo got back from his travels and told what he had seen and experienced, people were amazed. He responded, "And you don't know the half of it." The mind of God is a mystery beyond the mind of human beings.

FROM JM IN VIRGINIA: I think you have to start with the raw material, then for most, environment carries you along for a while. At some point, the individual has to take over the reigns though! But the nice thing about life is that it's always presenting twists and turns to make it interesting!////FROM JACK: Every day seems to present a fork in the road. Is the decision to go one way or the other equal for everyone? Why do some people make decisions that seem to be wise, while others do not? Is free will the same for everyone? Philosophy has taught me to raise questions which seem to raise other questions. Theology has taught me to believe that there are ultimate answers.

FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: I think about all of the holocaust survivors; folks who prevailed (usually by faith) to thrive despite incredible odds against them…the Nelson Mandela’s etc. Some rise to the occasion and others collapse at the least provocation….think of all of our star/starlet suicides and overdoses. While I felt I was “given” definite persons and chemistry when I met my babies, I think it truly is the drive/core/soul of the individual that determines the outcome of life..////FROM JACK: I just finished reading an interesting book, "Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates." The last page continues... St Peter says, "Listen, we've only got room for one more today. So whoever of the two of you gives the best answer to the question, What is the meaning of life? gets to come in." And Heidegger says, "To think Being itself explicitly requires disregarding Being to the extent that it is only grounded and interpreted in terms of beings and for beings as their ground, as in all metaphysics." But before the hippo can grunt a word, St Peter says to him, "Today's your lucky day, Hippy." In other words, BBC, the drive/core/soul is "simply" a mystery.////MORE FROM BBC: Great – thanks for sharing. I have been reading an interesting one, “The Tiger”… It is a true story about a single tiger, traditions around veneration of the beast, hunting, poaching, climate change, perestroika etc. in 1980s-1990s Russia. Fascinating in terms of the hunt, the social aspects and a great read especially on snowy days these past winter weeks.

FROM CL IN MICHIGAN: I think I prefer the words, "It is what it is, but it will become what God wants it to become" I think that is nature at work.////FROM JACK: In that case, I wonder to what extent do we have free will? My core belief is that God has an "over-ride" available. How it works, I don't know, because I don't know the mind of God.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: "It is what it is and that's all what it is"...Popeye the Sailor Man. I always liked that saying. We believe God has the situation in His Hands and we deal with it the way we choose. How we choose to deal with it tells what type of person we are.////FROM JACK: The first Popeye comic strip, called "Thimble Theater" appeared in 1933. It began with Castor Oyl saying, "You there, are you a sailor?" Popeye replies, "Ja' think I'm a cowboy? I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam." Your Popeye reference fits well with the point I was trying to make today.

FROM MOLINER MH: We all make our own "choices". I am reminded of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken". Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Many times our "choices" determine what we make of our life. Thanks for another ww to make us think.////FROM JACK: What I like about Frost's poem is that it encourages us to try new and different things. So much of boredom relates to doing the same thing over and over again. There was a time when I wanted to walk on a certain road. I'll always be thankful for the professor who pointed me in another direction, saying, "Try it, Jack. It will be a great experience for you." And it was!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL: We all do make decisions every day. We have to do our best every day, and God will do the rest.////FROM JACK: This reminds me of the Boy Scout Oath: "On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

FROM BLAZING OAKS: I didn't originate this quote: I read it, thought it had merit, and passed it on. I do feel we can do much more than shrug our shoulders, and be content with "It is what it is..." Maybe it doesn't HAVE to be what it is! I feel we are a complex combination of "Nature and Nuture" but we are capable of changing what IS if it is not palatable. Never, Never, Never give up!! :-)////FROM JACK: Bob Dylan wrote: "There is nothing so stable as change."

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.////FROM JACK: That's what the venture capitalists believe.

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: ABSOLUTELY!////FROM JACK: Are you sure about that?////MORE LIZ: Absolutely! Or u can "break" ur life. U may not get everything u wish for, but God gives us free will in order that we'll use it.

FROM IKE AT THE MIC: I believe in the saying:"If it's to be..it's up to me!"..