Essential Question

I asked someone what it was that made them happiest. They responded that it was spending time with their family. For me this probably wouldn't be my first response. So, why the difference? Why such a discrepancy between us two people? In my last response to my essential question I addressed the controversy between nature and nurture and related it to thePoisonwood bible. Nurture was proven to be quite true in shaping some one's well being, so does this mean that everyone in the world is born in the same realm of happiness and then what ever environment we are then put into shapes us into our unique beings? Well, this could be an explanation for my friend and my own differences, however it seems hard to believe that every human being is born the same. Scientific research seems to fall contrary to nurture being god's only hand in this. Genes, these seem to produce more than just a person's physical self. Genes definately play a part in determining who we are. Chronic depresion is a known trait carried through genetics, so could euphoria be carried to us in this very same way? Is happiness determined by and only by our genetic luck? Well, I did a little research and it said that people born in Switzerland are happiest in general and people born in (some country) in Africa are the least so, perhaps where you are born plays some role. Now, I am not suggesting that the geographical location of your birth will determine your overall personality and happiness but, it is my opinion that the political position of your country plays a large role in weather or not you are a happy person. If a country is surpressed and it's citizens are obused then how could some one possibly manage to be as happy as a person who lives in a free and loving country? If children are forced to hide and seek shelter in holes in the ground so that they won't be recruted and forced to kill others than how could they possibly bear a smile? I know that put in that situation, I would be unable. The environment that a person is in plays just as large a role as Genetics.