It occurred to me–a mystery of sorts,
How inward and outward my image became.
I think through others witty retorts,
They’ve morphed the person they know by name.
.
Is this not how we all evolved,
Our identities molded by family and friends?
Who we were born is not who we’ve resolved;
Veering off our path for one that bends.
.
Rules of life, though they often change
Undeniably forming our moral core
Relations with others and loves they arrange
Knowing right from wrong they ensure
.
Perhaps it would have been easier to leave me to fate
Than to manufacture a me into this limbotic state.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 
Interesting thought. How would somebody grow without the influence of family and friends? I know for myself, I’ve let other people push me in directions that never felt quite right. Makes one wonder about the could have been.
Thank you Charles, I don’t know that we can ever, or that anyone has ever gone without the influence of others. What I believe though, is that as our maturity increases, we should not push others to follow the path that WE think is best for them. It is like pushing someone to attend college, who truly wants to work in a trade, this generally ends in failure and taints the person for a lifetime. Of course this is just an example, but it is one that I believe occurs quite regularly. I know that these “pushes” are generally done with the best of intentions, but as part of our development we should be allowed to pursue those things that make us happy, not necessarily the most money. Just my opinion. :)
I think it’s a great example. Stuff like that can cause resentment and anxiety. Even if it’s ‘for their own good’, you can’t force someone into something they don’t really want without causing pain.
Agreed and as a result it can lead to a lifetime of resentment and unhappiness.
I’ve seen it and it’s not pretty. In fact, I’m always scared I’m going to force my son into something he hates. Might have made me too lenient.
You can still be firm guiding him in what is right and wrong and giving him a social conscience, but when it comes to determining what makes him happy, you will need to give him so room. Yes, he will make mistakes, but hopefully they will serve as lessons on his way to a prosperous life doing something he loves. My son is 23 and will be getting out of the army in the next few months, he still doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do and I am doing my best not to be judgmental with whatever he decides. I know it is hard and we will never stop second guessing our decisions, it just goes along with being a parent.
Making that choice is stressful at any age. I hope he figures something out.
Me too, thank you for that.
I love the words “limbotic”- wonderful
Thank you very much Kimberly, now whether it is a real word or not is questionable, but I believe that it did convey the appropriate message. :)
It can be so much easier to trust in fate and wish that life would take care of itself. Because in reality, life is messy, and there are parts that we regret, parts that we wish we could change or eradicate completely from our history.
I love your poem!
Thank you my friend, I guess what I was trying to convey is that we all need to make our own way in life and that sometimes the molding of our personalities stunts who we really are making it very difficult to set ourselves free to just be. Much of the time this shaping is done with the best of intentions, but can sometimes conclude in unintentional results. :)
Agreed. There have been so many times that I have done something with the very best of intentions, but there is still a backlash… such is life eh :)
Most definitely. :)
The child may be molded but the adult has free will.
That is very true, but so many times the mold traps ones free will inside. The real trick in my view, is to break the mold and allow ourselves to express our free will which is sometimes easier said than done. Thank you for the observation Gilly. :)