Taken from Bismark’s expat friends thread
[quote=“TomHill”][quote=“Edgar Allen”]
Seriously life is what you make it wherever you are [/quote]
No.[/quote]
Is it just a nature versus nuture type argument or iis there so much more to the cliched statement that it rings true?
Life won’t fit on a bumper sticker
Matchstick_man, nature versus nuture refers to genetic versus child-rearing environment as competing hypotheses in determining personality and behavior. Life being what you make it is more about being in control of your life and your enjoyment of life as an adult. I don’t think it’s useful to conflate the two. Both are interesting topics, but they’re distinct. That said, yes, I think life is what you make it. I choose to fill my life with a broad range of activities, and very little boob tube, and I feel that makes my life richer and more valuable, for instance.
I think expats have a different relationship with their environment than most. Either more dependent or less dependent than average, depeding on their personality.
In the last five years, the number of family members and friends I have lost has now hit double numbers. It’s important to realise your time is finite and your control over when that happens is minimal. So what do you want to do with the time you have left? The only things that can force your hand is biology and your own fear and inadequacy.
I think so. It’s the which came first, the chicken or the egg type of argument.
“Life is never what you want it to be, but it is what you make it.” I take credit for making that quote up when I was in high school.