Nature v Nurture

Admittedly I’m not much for caring about celebrities or people in the public eye. I’m more annoyed at the police roadblocks, road closures or even just longer commutes because someone needs their protection detail.

It annoys me seeing people getting paid millions upon millions of dollars for an episode of tv or a sports game when kids don’t have proper meals, people don’t have places to sleep and teachers are spending their own money for school supplies. The masses continue to be distracted from being in the real world, the modern colosseum. But for some reason I have more respect for a fictional character.

If pressed, my favorite ‘celebrity’ that I would root for would be green lantern. I saw the alternate time line of superman where his craft deviated and ended up in the soviet union instead of the Kents and he ends up being less ‘honorable’ and without stereotypical american ideals.

Nature: On his planet as a baby he was a dud. Nothing special but his parents who were intelligent and wise. No fast speed unless he developed erectile dysfunction issues. No heat vision, X-ray vision, freeze breath, flight, etc. Nada! (Same with Hal by the way).

Somehow the family knew about the radiation properties of our yellow sun and that this radiation would make him super. Once he was here he was able to be more than this initial nature. The powers are nature, his upbringing on krypton and earth are nurture.

Nurture: Hal Jordan was a test pilot. He was a nice guy. I don’t know much about his upbringing. Naturewise he was a dude A cool test pilot dude but a dude nonetheless. Whatever nurture happened though is what made him special. It was because of his nurture, his heart, that led to the ring choosing him for the chance to be in the lantern corp. He rose above others in his being.

I like the idea that both guys are good guys from the nurture aspects. But something about being chosen appeals to some ego place inside me. Maybe I want to believe without super dna I might be super enough on the inside that the ring could have chosen me.

-SFA