Can native individuality really exist?

Question

Seeing as the self can be a product of environmental factors, how do we define native individuality? It's said choices are points of definition. When we come in contact with environmental influences, our personality develops, but the key term here is 'influence.' Interaction with the environment can help opening up and harnessing a potential feature that was natively present. So in that case it wouldn't be a matter of influence, at least not completely. But on the other hand, interaction with environment can install new characteristics.

So does native individuality really exist? And how do you determine what the exact limits of its territory are?

Answer 1

I hate to answer a question with another question, but what is the definition of native? If we were to stick an individual in an isolated area with only primitive food and shelter from birth, what sort of results would this yield after 5, 10, or 20 years? That is likely to yield a "native" individual. But in today's society a native personality is as you said, receives many outside influences. Where is the baseline for the true individual and not the one that has been "polluted" by the outside? I feel that this only comes from experience. Experience is as many fields as possible, experience in communicating with other people (and not just online), experience with other cultures and ways of life. Only through experience can we know where our individual baseline lies. And a good start to experience is questioning everything. But no matter how hard we try, unless we are raised as in my beginning sentences, we are partially programmed from birth by our influences (parents, family, friends, etc) to behave and want certain things. Again, only experience can help us to change these things. But any time you interact with anything outside of the "isolated area" previously mentioned you move away from the native individual.

Answer 2

Nature versus Nurture has been a topic of discussion for over a century. Some actions are not learned. Babies have many skills at birth. A baby born after a complete gestation period breathes, sleeps and suckles. A baby born 3 months early needs help in these areas but eventually is able to do all three on its own. There are some capabilities that are linked to genetic codes but for most we just do not know.

Answer 3

You sort of answered your own question. Yes some characteristics are inborn 'native' traits of the individual that can be bent, even wholly changed by the environment. So in that combination the unique experiences of a person also leaves an individual in a small sense (small quirks in combinations like a person who won't eat broccoli and likes peas vs a person who likes peas but won't eat carrots), but in the greater sense people are probably much more a like than they'd like to think themselves (wanting to fit in but still be an individual).

Answer 4

"Natively", "natural", "normal", "inherent" are concepts that defy reality. I defy anyone to find the individuality in one fetus to the next. Or to find the individuality in one embry to the next. Or from one mind to the next.

For any two humans that you can classify as different and individuals, I can list at least ten things that they have in common or share.

Individuality is a concept that we invented to deal with our emotional world. A secure person never needs to "be an individual". An insecure person, however, will struggle with trying to establish an identity and an identity that differs from others.

Answer 5

well , do i think about reincarnation here ; where we had came from before we existed on earth ? ; we maybe not incarnation in human-body before we reincarnation as a human-being ? ; native as the nature : what's the native of the sky is to compare with the native of the earth ? i thinks i had to refer to Hermes Trismegistus first , before i could complete-ly answer your questioned .... ok.

Answer 6

That is a little like asking if it is possible to send you back where you came from and the answer is yes. We were at one time, before we came here, with our Heavenly Father and we can return. He wants us to return, but will force no one to Heaven. Force is the doctrine of the Adversary. I hope that answers your question.

Answer 7

surly native individuality exist, because everyone is protective of their own individual environment. I am very protective of what I 'call my own'. These are are only mine, so it is my own individual environment.