Nature vs. Nurture

Can apples fall far from the tree?

There is a saying in the west "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" which isn't strictly of the west but you get the idea, that children are their parents, after all, they come from the same lineage, are bound by the same biological parameters and have the same genetics (more or less). So it isn't an absurd statement to make and there is some truth in that.

But why is it that something about this statement seems off?

It's because it doesn't paint the whole picture. It's a very shallow and simplistic analysis. If we only see the forest for its trees we lose sight of everything except the trees, which is still the majority of the forest.

And it often is the case that the apple does fall far from the tree, metaphorically speaking, and there is one big reason for it.

Environment!

Where the apple lands doesn't depend on the tree but the environment that it is in. The angle inclination or declination of the terrain, the direction and speed of the wind, anything that could affect the trajectory of the apple.

And we humans are way more flexible and mobile than apples are.

Apples don't have legs to move from one environment to another, we do.

Apples don't have intellect, speech or thought, but we do. I can go on and on with the examples but I don't need to because you get the idea.

This doesn't just apply to small things. If you want to become a football player, you won't accomplish anything by going to a basketball court. If you want to become a musician, an office isn't a good place to start, if you want a wife, it's highly unlikely you will find her at the club.

Predictable argument:

So basically what you're saying is that genes do not matter and we're all blank slates, we can be anything that we want to be, including a three-eyed alien.

No, genes do matter. But the way it expresses itself varies.

Think of it like a game of chess, you're bound by a set of rules and conditions, but within that, you have the freedom to play however you want and depending on how you play you either win the game or lose it.

What genes do is set biological parameters and boundaries to your genetic expression. But within that, you have the freedom to do whatever you want or be whoever you want and your biology will do its best to support it.

Genes + environment + mindset = 100%

While genes do represent 33.3% of your potential being, the other 66.6% is or could be of your choosing.

So when it comes to life, we humans are not the readers. We are the authors.

I'm also not telling you to be naive. If an environment doesn't bring the best out of you and if there are people that want the worst for you, which you will undoubtedly come across, the most sensible thing that you could do is to escape the environment.

A flower doesn't bloom in the wrong environment. It needs water, sunlight and good soil for that.

In that sense, we are a lot like flowers.

-"Human beings without love are like plants without water. They dry up, get rotten and wither away."

So as an apple that doesn't want to succumb to the patterns of its parent tree. Choosing an environment that is complementary and optimum in nature and a mindset that is coherent with your goals is exactly how you fall far from the tree.

P.S. - I like highlighting my own quotes because it looks cool, no special reason for it ;)