Things That Shape Us

One of the closest people to me also happens to be one of the only people in my life with polar-opposite views than me on just about everything. My friend and I also happen to get into huge debates on the many issues that we come across when reading stories in the news, or even something within our own lives. Coming from a prep school, I am no stranger to expensive education. In fact, it’s always been the “norm” for me. So when applying to colleges and for school loans I never exactly thought about how outrageous the cost of higher education is. Like I said, to me it’s always simply been the way it is. However, I can honestly say that after awhile, the amount of debt I would be in once I graduated began to sink in. Especially upon discovery that a certain political candidate had potential plans to raise interest on student loans, something I was sure the majority of us would not be too pleased with.

My friend, however, saw nothing at all wrong with this plan. In her eyes, if you can’t afford to attend a certain school, then don’t. Otherwise, you should know what you’re getting yourself into.  At first, I was deeply angered by her comment because it seemed so incredibly ignorant to me. It’s certainly not as simple as she put it, and it outraged me that she truly believed something like that. After another one of our very heated debates, I took a step back and realized that I shouldn’t be angry with her for seeing things that way. We were raised in two completely different households surrounded by our parents who had opposite views on how to reach success. The things that my friend had experienced in her life are what shaped every single one of her beliefs, and the same for me as well. It was at that moment I actually had to realize that there were going to be people in my life who were going to see things in ways that I found to be absurd.

When Foster wrote, “We bring an individual history to our reading”, this is exactly what he meant. In a broader sense of his words, we interpret things based on beliefs instilled on to us by those who raised us as well as what we’ve experienced throughout our lives. We’ve all led completely different lives and will continue to. We all have an “individual history,” that is why we take away separate understandings of all the things that we see collectively.