What Makes a Person
Uploaded by hilarios604 on Jul 10, 2002
Most people do not feel change taking place within them. One of the reasons why this is so might be because it is happening in every moment of our lives. Looking at it from a scientific view, babies are born intellectually empty, devoid of memory or experience. Every detail that our senses take in triggers reactions in our brain, though at most times it is unconsciously. All of these little details and experiences of our lives are what shape us and change us. Humans are like sponges. We are constantly absorbing knowledge and feeding our thirst with the waters of substance. Change can be so minute or at times so significant. Even in the face of a distinctive event though, I am unable to comprehend the kind of ramifications that could occur to affect me. It is only through comparing who I am now to who I was before that I realize that, amazingly enough, I have changed.
If I had to label myself, I’d say that I was your typical child; carefree, impatient and devoid of any form of stress or concern for anything. It was a mindless existence that I lived in through my childhood. Basically, I was ignorant and I wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass if anyone had told me that. My parents told me that as a child, I rarely cried, complained or asked for anything. I was a laid-back child. School was not really something I thought of or tried at. I had my share of mischief accompanied by hordes of detentions and lectures, all of which I handled with complete apathy. Learning was an obligation that, fortunately, I just happened to do well at. Most of my days were spent on sports and other active forms of entertainment.
One particular hobby that I remember from my childhood was catching dragonflies in my grandparent’s orchard. I used to cut off their wings and watch them drag their bodies along in an imbalanced posture. I didn’t really think of it as cruel. Actually, I found it entertaining. In a way, I think of myself as the dragonfly now. I know that my wings can be cut off temporarily once in awhile and I’ll be the one under the scrutiny of people as I heave my heavy weight along. But I will find some inventive way to keep moving along. I know that I can be adaptive...