Circumstances make the man

"Circumstances do not make a man, but reveals him." - As a Man Thinketh, James Allan. A person is defined by her/himself, and nothing more. Not to say that the environment has absolutely no influence on the character of the individual, but rather that its degree of control on the person can be actively chosen by the individual him/herself. Based on the assumption that free will exists, the inherent universality of logic would allow the person to access a certain amount of detachment from the societal conventions that are placed upon him/her, even from a young age. We are who we choose to be. Should the said individual be born with certain characteristics or choose to defy conventions of the society in which he/she was raised in, the individual would deviate towards the character that the person was to be, despite the upbringing. Though it can be argued that most people conform to the implantations of various memetics from a young age, it should be taken into account that not many people "choose" or have the desire to deviate from the said conventions. The idea that the culture defines the value of a person based on the use of his/her skills to further the societal ambitions of the community is, to a certain degree, deluded. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Einstein, who isn"t noted for his philosophical views on anthropology, but is right nonetheless. Nikola Tesla, for example, spent his early childhood, to his late teens in a society, where even his parents were highly religious, both his father and maternal grandfather being Serbian Orthodox priests. However, he, once reaching the age of maturity, had the belief of scientific determinism embedded into his character, a belief that most theological communities at that time were strongly opposed to. "What we call "soul" or "spirit," is nothing more than the sum of the functionings of the body," - N. Tesla. On another note, Tesla is widely considered today to be a Man misplaced in Time. He lived in an era where the hypocrisy of society placed importance on social connections, political influence, and ones ability to do "business", despite how much they would claim otherwise. Tesla was a great inventor of many futuristic devises, using a primitive understanding of electrical mechanics. Many of his inventions, for example the radio and alternating current amongst many others, were stolen and given credit of innovation to other engineers, patentors and businessmen who took advantage of Tesla"s lack of interest and expertise in office and social politics and general business. Though he is remembered today for many of his incredible innovations, a significant amount of his work will always be remembered as the work of others. He died alone, without any noteworthy tangible assets in his possession, despite being a large and significant contributor to the electrical revolution. Had he been any less of a great inventor and genius, despite what his zeitgeist and history remembered him to be? There are those who choose, whether consciously or subconsciously, to be so integrated into their society and surroundings that they often may not realize how objectivity skewed their actions are. There are many who do not find a problem with their conventions, and choose to uphold them, and there is nothing wrong with that choice. Yet, there are those, like Tesla who defined his own existence. His circumstances did not make who he was. He choose, and he himself made Nikola Tesla. Vote for whom you think will make the best argument. All the best to Pro in the next round.