Nature vs Nurture

I remember a very few things from my childhood with absolute clarity. One of the things I remember is THIS. It is a Superman comic book complete with audio cassette tape. Also, THIS. And finally, THIS. Now, these books were wonderful and formative for me. I named my cabbage patch kid Clark. After Superman. I was three. And awesome. (You all know you had cabbage patch kids in the 80's. Don't hate.)

Looking back, these books have kind of lost their luster. The Atom for instance (his power allows him to shrink) says "I may be short but my anger's growing!" At one point the narrator says "They decided to move on." and is immediately followed by a voice over of the Atom saying "Well, I guess it's time to move on." You can listen to it here. But my love for them extends even to this day. I have them, and I'm thinking about busting them out for my son to listen to...if I can find a tape player.....

You see, I think they started me down the path that I have walked my whole life. And gave me some sense of identity. I'm a geek. With encyclopedic knowledge of comic books. And almost anything else. I accept that. But am I a geek because of my environment, or was I born that way? I certainly didn't buy those comic book/cassette abominations myself. My parents did that. They also bought me the superman pajamas, Superman/Batman/Green Lantern/Robin/Aquaman/Wonder Woman action figures, and more Transformers and Legos than anyone in their right mind should have. So obviously they played a part. My mom introduced me to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and my dad made sure I watched Star Wars and Star Trek movies.

But they cringe if you call me a geek in front of them. But it is what I am. I know this. But I have also embraced it. And carried it farther than either one of them really find comfortable. Like when I got into tabletop miniature gaming. I tried to get my dad to play HeroClix with me, and he did. But only because he loved me. He got up from the game, and sighed a sigh that said, "Ok. That's over with. Let's hope he never asks again."

And when I casually mentioned that I was going to start playing a roleplaying game in college (Rifts, not D&D) to my mom, I got a "I'm not pleased with this idea" talk. And I'm pretty sure she prayed for me. I thought that playing Rifts would be a better idea than Dungeons and Dragons given some of the.... literature.....going on around about D&D, and on one hand that was true. But on the otherhand, Glitter Boys. (BROKEN!!)

So I have gone beyond and further than my parents. Beyond what they feel comfortable with. And I seek out and find new things to geek out about. Japanese Manga, anime and films. Chinese and Hong Kong Kung Fu movies. Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels. I seek it out because I like it. Because it all stimulates me. Creatively, intellectually, and recreation-ally. I seek it out. Just like I would have sought it out had they not exposed me to it.

I'm a geek because they raised me and because I choose to be. I think it's both. Environment and choice.

It's the same with Jesus (but also different). I'm a christian because I was raised in it, and because I choose to be. But I also would have chosen to follow him regardless of their decision.

But it's also none of those because he chose me. We love him because he first loved us. And I choose Him because he first chose me.

The only geek analogy I can make to that dynamic would be Captain Picard beaming me onboard and telling me he needed my help.