HISTORY

IT'S A LONG ROAD

Monica

Australia

Where and when did it all begin? You might as well ask where and when did life begin? We are, no doubt, a conglommeration of traits and characteristics of our ancestors. We have inherited a great deal of what we are; in fact, our very existence is unthinkable without this inheritance and we are not at liberty to accept or refuse what is handed on to us. This is a fact of life and the sooner we come to terms with it, the better.

Similarly, some of our traits and characteristics, likes and dislikes, abilities and weaknesses are acquired by ourselves. This, however, does not mean that we have always the free choice of what to take and what to leave. Especially not, when our environment either openly or secretly tries to force itself upon us in our earlier years. A small child is not likely to successfully refuse to be influenced by its surrounding. It might struggle against them, in fact it often does, but the battle is uneven and the outcome decisive for part or the whole of our adult life.

During the process of maturing, many people succeed in ridding themselves of a payload forced upon them in childhood. But no-one has the right to set himself up as a judge condemning a person as "immature" if he has failed to jettison all that was heaped upon him by inheritance or voluntary or involuntary acquisition.

Once we have accepted the premises on which we stand, we have nothing to be ashamed of as long as we do not harm society as a whole even if this society out of ignorance or malice finds us un- acceptable and as long as we do not harm individuals either. Since most of us are already part of a pattern created before we fully real-

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