it has been said

Jules Renard - "It is not how old you are, but how you are old."

So true. Age is merely a number after all, and in many cases not a true reflection of a person's intelligence or maturity. One may often come across a young adult or teen who presents a certain wisdom beyond their years, while also discovering that their older counterparts are uncannily experienced at throwing tantrums for no good reason.

I suppose that in the end, it is the environment in which you are nutured, your surroundings as well as your genes that mould and shape your core being.

I like to think that your immediate environment has a greater influence on your development than the hereditary traits that you are born with. Or perhaps we aren't really born with many (if any) hereditary traits, we just think we are because we spend the greater part of our early years with our parents (unless you had a nanny, in which case my argument possibly falls through the floor), who ultimately influence us in both a conscious and subconscious way.

I'm sure there is no such thing as a 'perfect habitat', and like the (other) animals, we all have our own personal preferences for ideal environments, and I guess that's what inevitably leads to the myriad of personalities, attitudes, opinions, and such, in societies all over the world.

The world's not perfect, and neither are we. But it's certainly an interesting place to be..