NATURE/NURTURE
“Mom, do I like black beans and rice
and my dad's music because I'm half-Cuban or is it just because he has all of
that in the house?”
This was a second grader's simplified
argument for nature versus nurture, as he begins to consider his place in the
world. In response, I set out to do a
bit of research on his behalf, but to also quell my own curiosity.
In a recent exchange with an editor
at NPR, he told me Marcos touched on an incredibly complex and politically
polarizing frontier of science at the moment.
With various angles, I found a piece on PBS.org, called
“Are We Still Evolving?” which pulls arguments from
evolutionary psychologists and behavior geneticists over the role of genes and
their involvement in our psychological traits.
For a quick brush-up course (because
I needed it, too), chromosomes containing DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, sit in
the nucleus of a cell. Inside the DNA
are genes, which are pliable segments that determine our development. These self-regulating genes that give
organisms choices, based on the variables surrounding them, set up camp for our
personalities and preferences.
A lot of the PBS conversation
surrounds biological evolution, which, depending on who you decide to listen
to, may or may not have stopped 40,000 or 50,000 years ago when Homo Sapiens
took the place of Neanderthals in Europe.
Archeological records show that at that time we made a huge leap in our
species, no longer relying on natural selection, as we began creating art and
infinitely better tools. Instead of
growing more hair, we made clothes; instead of becoming stronger, we invented
weapons; language created a new way to pass down behavior, instead of having to
discover it alone, and so on. A number
of scientists make the case that any evolution since then is purely cultural.
There are those, of course, who
disagree emphatically. They say while
genes evolve very slowly, it is impossible that we have not progressed,
biologically speaking, at all.
What is known for sure is this: Purdue University's psychology
teachings show that humans around the world share more similarities than
differences in terms of language capacity, genetics and biological needs. Unquestionably, humans from all backgrounds have the
same chromosomes, organs and body functions while genetics are responsible for
the color of our eyes and skin, whether our hair is straight or curly and the
passing of certain diseases. On the
fringe of that are height, weight, male hair thinning and life expectancy,
among other things, all of which are strongly linked to family lines. IQ, personality and temperament are deemed
hereditary.
Most behavior geneticists agree that
parenting does have an effect on biologically related and unrelated children,
influencing ideas on strongholds like faith and politics, but not on
everything.
Enter culture, an rapidly evolving
group of behavior norms, or set of socially accepted rules quietly – or
perhaps, not so quietly – encoded in us since birth. In much of the Middle East, for example, male
friends hold hands, but not in the U.S.
In parts of Asia, personal space is a non-concept. You may find yourself taking a step back only
to have someone take a step closer. A New
York Times piece on proxemics notes that Americans like a good two to four feet in
distance from one other.
Ben Franklin coined the phrase, “Time
is money,” and clock-bound Americans often don't understand Latin America's
casual take on punctuality. Having spent
extended periods of time in Cuba and Spain, I learned that, “I'm on my way,”
really means, “I'll be there in the next few hours.” I found this exasperating at first, but
eventually learned to go with it for the most part, as I was on vacation, after
all.
In our one, Georgia-bound household
alone, mere microcosms of the explosive cultural growth that has occurred across
the globe over the last 40 years, we’re raising three unique individuals who
absorb our blended environment in their own particular ways. Marcos is our sweet-toothed Southerner who
physically looks like a cross between Luis and my father and understands, but
rarely speaks Spanish. The kid who raps
his best Eminem and Iggy Azalea in car rides home from school has learned to
appreciate his Papi's black beans and rice, but prefers his mom's grilled
chicken and rice, dark chocolate chip pancakes and peanut butter banana boats. Though, as he gets older and bonds with his
father and brother in his big boy way, I see that side of influence take hold more
firmly. Connecting with them through
crazy fits of wrestling play and lots of laughter, drowned only by the heavy Latin
beats of Gente de Zona, there’s also a lot of importance given to nature and
organizational skills. For a boys night
out he dabs himself with Adidas Sport cologne and throws a little hair gel on. In the kitchen, with a stool pulled up, he smashes garlic and a pinch of salt in the mortar and pestle to
add to whatever Luis is cooking that night.
The appearance of different influences in Luisito, our 16-year-old who split the first 11 years of his life
between Cuba and Guatemala, then moved to Houston and finally here to Savannah three years ago, is distinct. He's Latin through and through, but is also
incredibly open to all things new. He
loves his dad's food and emulates that similar Simón resourcefulness and
strength while curbing Cuban humor and cheek kiss greetings to fit American
standards. I've watched not only his
everyday teenager language evolve, conducting much of it in English, but also
the way he thinks and speaks about his future.
Just a year-and-a-half shy of college, his options are wide open and his
ideas about what he can do reflect that.
Whatever the science is, nature or nurture
or a muddled version of both, Luis and I work hard to give options to the kids
and it's fascinating to watch all three of them discover
life through their varied points of view.
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