Some of the Greatest Influences on Your Life

[Kestra]

Okay, this is a really broad topic so I'm going to let you guys go in whichever direction you want to take it. But I've been doing some thinking lately about my siblings, the ways we're ridiculously like but also drastically different, and why I am the person that I am. I've tried to figure out some of the major factors that have influenced me, so here's a partial list:

Parents - It's difficult to describe all the ways they've influenced me. I've learned values from them (both ones I've accepted and rejected), they have taught me that unconditional love exists, and they've encouraged both the scientific and artistic sides that I have.

Religion - This mostly came from my parents as well, so what I took away was mostly mythology that provided a framework for morals, an idea that some things have not yet been explained, a desire to connect with something beyond the human, and that science and religion do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Books - These took me out of my sheltered, cable-free, conservative Indian world. I learned about all sorts of people and places, I learned all sorts of scandalous sexual type things, and I learned that my curiosity could only grow.

"Grammy" - This is a woman who basically raised me, as my parents were both busy with their careers much of the time. This is a woman who taught me what hard work meant, that the pleasure of life can be found in simple things, and that things like honesty and kindness go a long way. I think she also balanced my somewhat spoiled background by teaching me about the way she grew up, during the Depression. I often think of her when I'm in a moral quandary, and it's steered me back on track so many times.

My sister - This is too complicated to go into detail, but from her I've learned of a sisterly love that can't be compared to any other. She helped me grow up in many ways, and other times I've learned what not to do by watching her.

Visiting India often - This kept me grounded, and often puts things into perspective for me. The people there are often so genuinely happy, even with what we would consider so little. If I'm ever being terribly grumbly or unappreciative, I try to think of how much I have compared to so many others in the world. I think I'd be a horribly spoiled brat if my parents hadn't taken us there so many times growing up.

Okay so that's my partial list, which I don't expect you've read through. What have been some of the biggest influences on making you the person you are today? It can be as broad as you'd like, or as specific as a single book or person.

I'm just interested in seeing what has made each of you who you are.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I think there was a great combination of things that I was exposed to; a mixture of things that I was lucky enough to stumble upon, things that my curiosity brought me to, and the great good fortune of the times I grew up in.

As a kid, I read a lot and I responded strongly to heroism and intellectualism. Luckily, there was a lot of it around, from the bravery and self-sacrifice of characters like Reed Richards and Captain Kirk to the high-minded ideals of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin (in my History books, I'm not quite that old ) to the incredible ideas of Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov.

I was also surrounded by the environment of the 60s, the Second American Revolution, the Civil Rights Era, the Summer of Love. There was an overwhelming feeling of changing the world for the better, righting the wrongs of the past and ushering in a better future. There's been a lot of backsliding since then, of course, but that's still what it's like inside my head: Sunny and colorful.

As for people, I'd count my two biggest influences as Arthur C Clarke and Thomas Jefferson.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

My family: I know this is broad but my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, my sisters, my brother-in-laws have all be great influences on my life.

My Co-Workers at Alamo: I learned a lot about work from them. Without them I wouldn't be where I am without their help and their friendship and their motivation.

Zecheriah McJonez: One of the greatest voices that has ever graced their presence in my mind. He helped shape my view on religion, on life, and how to control my emotions. I lost a lot when he left I have never been able to replace him and while I can keep my emotions in check for the most part, I still have issues.

My History Teachers: Not only did they help me, every single one of them throughout my life, but they helped mold and shape a very vivid and imagitative mind that always inquires, why and what next?

 

[jamestyler]

I can only really think professionally right now...

In terms of wrestling... a guy called Raven was a real influence in showing me how to do little to encourage a reaction, he also showed me the art of humiliating myself and not taking myelf too seriously when I met him, as well as many other things - such as how to look like a star on the cheap.

Scottish wrestlers Spinner MacKenzie and Conscience (my initial trainer) also helped in shaping a minimalist approach to work in order to get maximum effect. A blessing considering I'm not the most athletic and have a body that was already a wreck before I got into a ring.

I can't really say there was a huge parental influence, or many teachers who helped me along the way. The only one I can think of was my religious studies teacher who was the only one in the school who put her career on the line and battled with the school to teach something other than christianity - which was drilled into our heads by other teachers.

 

[Niorah]

My family has been a very big influence in my life, of course. I got the love for cars and sports from my father; the love for literature and the arts and travels from my mother; the love for the outdoors and nature in general and a whole -lot- of ethical teachings, my stubborness, my sense of justice, my good manners, my politeness and possibly my bad tempers from my maternal grandmother (whom I loved more than anything, may she rest in peace).

I got some great role models in school, thankfully, starting with my elementary school teacher, a very intelligent and brilliant woman who taught me most of all how to -think- and use my brain, instead of limiting herself to filling my little mind with notions and data. I cannot thank her enough for that.

As far as other influences go, two books have had a major impact on me in different moments of my life, one is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, when I was about 14, and the other one is Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, much later.

Tv and movies have also had a role in shaping who I am now and have given me a taste for adventure. This includes of course Star Trek, which has taught me many incommensurable things, like the ever important acceptance of others, has instilled in me a very strong problem solving mentality, and has given me a healthy dose of "Never give up, never surrender" (although the actual phrase comes from a different show ).