Environment vs. Choices – How Where You Grow Up Shapes You
Growing up isn’t just about who you are—it’s also shaped by the environment you come from. In The Other Wes Moore, one theme that stood out to me is how a person’s surroundings can influence their life choices, whether they realize it or not. Wes had to grow up in different neighborhoods, learning how to survive in each one. Some places were filled with poverty, crime, and danger, while others offered safer environments and more opportunities. Even when he moved to better areas, the influence of where he came from and the people he was around didn’t fully go away. That made me realize how much environment can affect the way we think and see the world. Where you grow up can shape what you consider normal. In Wes’s life, hustling, fighting, and making quick money didn’t always seem wrong—they were just ways to get through each day. When that’s all you see, it doesn’t feel like a bad decision at first. It feels necessary. If everyone around you is doing the same thing, it becomes easier t...