refelctions – Pure and Simple

Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?

Are we shaped by experience or shaped by who we are?

This is not as easy as it looks.

At first glance, I said: experience.

Life teaches us how to live through the many experiences we gain day after day.

And… the more experiences we have, the more we change along the way.

So yes, experience does shape us.

But wait a minute…

I re-read the whole thing again.

Doesn’t us or we came before experience?

Yes, it’s who we are that first exists and shapes us.

Experience follows.

Experience offers possibilities and changes.

Yet, who we are is the root of our life tree.

Or, better put, who we are is made of a special fabric woven from too many threads.

There are certain things that make us but can’t be changed; things like our souls, our origin, and our families.

Yes, I know everything can be changed nowadays, including some of the things I just mentioned, but you can’t erase them from your “who you are” identity.

After each and every experiences you live through life, it’s “who you are” that manages it in the way “ who we are” wants.

Is your head spinning right now?

Mine is, but only because of the AC, which I don’t like at all. But in some places, it is the most convenient way to survive on holiday in a tropical country.

So, back to this life shaping player.

Simply, we are shaped by who we are.

Out of each and every experience, we’re the ones who decide whether to learn the lesson, to ignore it, or to destroy it.

Some experiences may push us to be cruel, savage, or selfish.

But in the end, it’s us who decide whether to follow the experience’s recommendations or not.

With who-shape-us-thoughts,

Nahla

I know this is technically about real big inventions like cars or home appliances.

But life is overflowing with important inventions.

Really, if you pick one, you’ll find another more important.

When I search for something, I find dozens of versions of it.

They seem important, some very important, but later you realise they are not.

Haven’t you been living without them for a long time?

Of course you have.

This is why I thought of something else.

Something that only you can invent,

only you can use,

and only you can keep.

Can it be my style? I wondered.

And, why not? I answered.

But, there are different kinds of styles.

Still, you are the only one who can merge them all.

Have you ever noticed how you, consciously or unconsciously, follow one style in everything you do?

By the way this isn’t a fact, just an observation.

How do you choose your clothes?

How do you design your house?

How do you eat and make food?

How and what do you write?

And so much more…

All of these can blend together and invent your own style.

And it’s important, very important.

It can tell others more about you.

And perhaps…

it can also explain why you cope with some but not with others.

With new quiet thoughts,

Nahla

P.S. this is my second response to today’s daily prompt.

I totally forgot about my first.

https://pure-and-simple.co.uk/2025/02/06/important-and-unimportant/

You can consider this post is an extension to my first response.

Tag: refelctions

Can Experience Alone Shape Us?

The most important invention in life.