NATURE OR NURTURE PART. 2
Originally Posted May 31, 2016
As an adult I realized how much can be learned from watching the raw instincts of animals in the wild. I was watching the animal planet the other day, and noted how often the parental figures had to actually teach their offspring the 'way of life'. Similar to humans, lion cubs will begin life by naturally drinking the milk of its mother.
But after a certain point, they must be taught how to catch the food customary to their culture. Same with giraffes. It is almost instinctual for a giraffe, once born, to stand within the first hour of its life. But without the nurturing nudging of its mother directing it to move vertically, the new giraffe
would not realize the strength it has to stand effectively. So, what happens to those instances where the birth parents are unavailable to teach such lessons? Well, in some cases within the wild, it can result in death. In other cases, we remarkably are able to witness a community stepping in and assuming that role. Elephants are a great example of this. When one of their own is fallen, they will collectively adopt the orphan youth and raise them as their own.
Last month we looked at how nature plays a role in the way we are formed and come to be ourselves. While we cannot escape the DNA that has been assigned to us by our biological parents, today we will review cases where nurture has taken a larger role in changing the course of life for some.
At 6 ft 4 inches, Michael Oher appears unstoppable. By DNA, he is the perfect stature to dominate his position with the Carolina panthers. I mean what more could you ask for? A very tall solid 315lbs protecting your line as the right/left tackle. With all of the success Michael has seen over the past few decades, there is no indication that he once struggled as a lone kid with no discipline or attention from his birth parents. With a father that frequented prison more than home, and a mother that suppressed her own pains in drugs and alcohol, by all means Michaels story should include trouble. Thankfully, nature is not the end all be all. Michael can attest to the power of love and community coming together to change the course of his life. As a freshmen in high school, a friends father recommended that Oher apply for a Christian High School that his own son would be attending. At this school, is where he met his second parents.
Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. If it was not for the demonstration of love and selflessness of the Tuohy's, Michaels story would have different chapters. Leigh Anne and her husband saw a need. No this was not their birth child, but they saw a child that was born in circumstances no one should ever experience, and they could not turn away. Their nurturing of Michael led to him moving in with the family, them hiring a tutor to help him read and improve his educational experience, and ultimately, them adopting him as their own son. Their experience reminded me of another within the bible.
In Exodus 1:15-22, we see another story of a rough beginning. While Moses was a baby, Pharaoh administered directions for all of the Hebrew boys within his reign, to be put to death. Moses mother could not stand for this! She was willing to sacrifice all for the slim chance that her child would live. She made the ultimate decision to release him. She places Moses in a basket, and sent her baby down the river with prayers that he would be safe. Her prayers were answered. Pharoah's daughter was bathing downstream near her home when she saw the floating basket.
When she gazed upon the small baby boy that found his way down the waters, she was in love. Her "motherly instincts" kicked in. No, she had no children of her own, but that's the beauty of nurture. You do not need to have birthed the child to love them as your own. She kept the baby boy, and in Exodus 2:1-10, we see her decision inclusive of naming him Moses. Because of this decision, Moses life would forever change. He grew to become a prominent leader, prophet, and a servant of God. The saving of his life as a baby, resulted in the saving of thousand of Hebrew slaves as God used Moses as an instrument of change.
As we see, in some cases, nurture plays more of an instrumental than nature ever could. It takes something special to look in the eyes of a life that was not by nature yours, and make the decision to love and raise him/her for ourself. But for the argument of which is more prominent nature or nurture, my answer would be both. Without the selflessness of the biological parent to actually bring a child into the world, there would be no opportunity to nurture that life. So in closing, we need both nature AND nurture. Let's eliminate the "OR" in this case.
Stay Blessed,
B. Loved