6 of 9

Where you live can influence who you are as a person

by Beatrice Okorie

I feel that who you are can influence where you live because you are giving yourself choices according to your standards. If you are the type of person who knows what they want in life, I would say that where you live will not have too much affect on the type of person you are.

Sometimes we may not know the circumstances that will intervene in our plans. I might be a good driver by obeying the traffic laws but , that does not mean I will never get in an accident.

If I live in a neighborhood for ten years and I am friendly with my neighbors, that does not mean everyone in the neighborhood will continue to live ten years in the same area.

People become afraid of change when they have to deal with things they are not familiar with. The neighbors now might have to deal with someone playing loud rap music all day.The person is disturbing the peace according to your standards. So, the police is called in.

You become angry and wish for the good old days when neighbors respected each other. Meanwhile, the rap music gets louder each passing day. This has certainly changed your outlook on certain people.

A single mother is raising five children in a drug infected building in the suburbs. One of her children is a ten year old male who just witness the exchange of cash for drugs.

The ten year old is told by the adult drug dealer to #%&* off or else. The child walks away vowing to get back. This child is very special because in his little mind he knows what the two people did was wrong. Some years later he did get back. He became the attorney general of his state.

A lot of community leaders will argue that the reasons people commit violent crimes is because they grow up in areas that are violent. If someone picks on you all the time because they do not like you, I think that could have an influence on who you are. You might become angry and aggressive like the perpetrator.

There are people who are determined not to be influenced by where they live because they know they can achieve something better in life. They work very hard to reach their goals.

Sometimes when we see people with nothing but the back sacks on their backs, they might seem settled to us. We leave them to their own world. Some of them stay in homeless shelters for the night while others will live under structures or in bushes.

Homeless people have developed who they are. Where they live does not have an influence on them. They see the world, the world just does not see them.

A baby who is in the mother's womb will certainly be influence by the health of the mother until they are old enough to walk away.

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA