August 12, 2025 I have always found the nature versus nurture debate to be both entertaining and very interesting. There are many persons who will argue genetics are far superior than the life experiences that one has in determining their success in life. On the other hand, there are many persons who are convinced that the opportunities one has in life are far superior to genetic make up. The question is if a person is more impacted by their genetic make up or their life experiences. I am of the belief that both are very important and it really is impossible to make an absolute decision one way or the other. There clearly are people who seem to have better aptitude for certain types of academics, sporting activities or social experiences than others. On the other hand, it is rather clear that experiences have a huge impact on your opportunities to succeed and do well in life. The fact that identical twins who have the same genetic make up often achieve differently and appear to have different talents clearly shows that environment is critical in terms of what people do and not just genetic make up. I personally had two good friends in my youth who became engineers. One was superb academically and did his degree in four years and had a successful career. The other lacked the ability of the other, but had a tenaciousness and an absolute desire to become a big time engineer. It took him six years to do a four-year engineering degree but ended up building roads all over the world for a multinational company. I also have known persons in my practice and on the road of life with tremendous abilities in various academic areas and very strong interpersonal skills that never had the opportunities in life to expand on these skills, and as a result, never developed or achieved to their potential. We also see this in sports where someone with greater natural ability often does not achieve to the level of the tenacious and totally dedicated athlete with less physical ability but with a burning desire to achieve to the highest possible level. I have seen persons with limited abilities finely hone them to the highest possible level and become very successful in their fields. Another factor not talked about is personal attractiveness as defined by the time they are living. Persons who are seen as attractive in a society are often given opportunities that persons who are not seen as attractive do not. This clearly is not fair, but is a reality. There was a study done some years ago that showed when persons talked to persons on a phone who they believed were attractive, they treated them better than if they felt they were not attractive. Attractiveness would be a genetic factor that is usually not talked about when persons are talking about nature versus nurture. I only mention it because I think if anyone looks at the world as it is, they will see that being attractive is a positive factor and opens opportunities in life. With that said, many persons who are not attractive have great success due to competence,confidence and solid communication skills. My final thought is that the whole issue of nature versus nurture is going to be debated as long as humans debate issues, but there never will be complete agreement. I believe it is simply safe to say that if a person has the opportunity and desire to develop their skills to their maximum potential, it is predictable they will do it. It also is true that individuals need to focus on what skills they have and develop them as best they can rather than getting into any type of debate about whether their environment or their genetic make up will determine their success in life. It obviously will be a combination of the two along with your commitment and effort to succeed.