The people who shape us

I’ve had an interesting week, and by interesting I don’t mean great.

When you have days that need a little bit of getting over, you tend to become a bit more philosophical, or at least, I do.

It leads me to ponder the question – what shapes us as human beings in our day-to-day navigation of life? This is not the first time I’ve thought of or in fact written about it, but it does tend to pop up in a different light each time.

The things that happen to us that are out of our control naturally influence who we are. I totally get that, particularly during weeks like these.

But I do think when it’s all said and done, it’s the people that leave the biggest impression.

Even during challenging times, this tends to be most impactful, especially upon reflection – the direct effect of the people in our lives who leave a lasting impression.

Though, it also raises the question about the indirect impact of the books we read or the programs we watch, on us as people.

After all, these all come from someone – the authors and producers who create it.

It’s undeniable that the fiction with which we fill parts of our days give us a sense of closeness in the context that we, as a human race, are all in this together – at least to some extent. Someone else may have felt the same way as us or has gone through a similar experience, whether wonderful or sometimes unsettling.

Writers’ aim, at least in fiction, is to provide a powerful emotional experience. How multi-dimensional is that statement in reality?

What a responsibility.