Are we products of our environment or our expectations?

                          

               The question being discussed today is do you believe we as human beings are products of our environment or our expectations. As I think about this question, I find myself asking why it must be one or the other. I don't necessarily think the answer is set in stone with either just environment or just expectations. I think both the environment and expectations of a person have influence on each other. I feel that your environment has a lot to do with what you end up expecting for yourself. If everyone in your family has a history of being in prison a person may come to believe that is their only fate. But I don't think people always end up doing what they expect should happen to them. If people find a way to change their fate, they will. My father always wanted to be an artist. He attempted to go to school for art, but he wasn't set up as a child in an environment to help him make that possible. After he realized this, he had to change his expectations from what he thought he would be doing, to something else. He later decided to be a cop where he developed new, higher expectations for himself that in this profession he has been able to achieve.  I believe that the changing of your environment can change your expectations for yourself in the long run. Human beings are very influenced beings. If someone keeps telling you something over and over again you are likely to start believing it, especially if it's a person you admire. For example, Wes Moore admires his father and as they were walking down the stairs Wes Moore attempted to mock his father's strong and proud walk. He greatly looked up to his father and wanted to be just like him. This is not specific to Wes Moore; all people are creatures of habit and imitate things they are surrounded by.  So why rule out your environment being a factor. If the people around you don't believe in you how could you believe in you. leaving that negative environment and being around people who think you deserve more will cause you to believe you deserve more. My parents were always supportive when it came to my passion for dance. My mother came to all my dance performances and always cheered me on in the stands. This had a huge impact on my expectations for myself. If she believed I could do it I then believed I could too. She backed me up on my decision to continue dance after high school and was the biggest advocate for me when I found out I got into Joffrey. If that wasn't the case I truly don't know if I would be here today doing what I'm doing. I was lucky enough to be in an environment where my expectations weren't shut down, they were enhanced and motivated. Without my mother encouraging me, I wouldn't have the confidence to do it and I would back down even though I expected I could. So, in the end I believe that your environment effects your expectations and your expectations effect your environment. Different environments can have different outcomes on what decisions you chose to make and if you want to live up to your own expectations for yourself it could simply come down to changing your enviornment.