Hello everyone.
Please review my response for this GRE issue topic, candid feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Topic:

People's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Response:

A soldier may not disobey orders, but he can choose to avoid hurting innocents. Although external forces have an unquestionable power over our behaviors, we have the ability to decide what should be done in a particular situation, and such ability finally decide who we really are. The statement of the issue did emphasize the effect which environments have on us, however, it neglected the decisive role of individuals' subjective initiative. Therefore, I consider it to be biased.

Undoubtedly, people's behavior patterns and believes are strongly influenced by the environment they live in. The common sense of the era shapes their worldviews; the education forms their knowledge base. The Middle Ages in Europe is a great case in point. When Christianity was a dominant religion across Europe, the power of the church was so great that from birth to death, people of this era lived under strict religious disciplines. They built great churches from Oxford, Paris to Rome. They developed sophisticated philosophies and arts in a style of Christianity. At extreme people even burned "witches" alive and start religious wars. The history shows us how irresistible environments can be as to affect people's minds and behaviors, whereas such effects are mostly done in an unconscious way.

However, people's own personalities determine how they perform in certain situations. And sometimes the choices people made in the same situation can show a significant difference between good and evil. A decent example is the Schindler's list film. Based on a true story, the film follows a German businessman who saved thousands of Jewish refugees by employing them in his own factory under the eyes of German soldiers during World War II. As a man seeking fortune, Schindler could have several choices. He could either run the business "legally" under the protection of the army and keep his eyes closed, or he could give up and leave the battlefront safely. However, he took up the riskiest option and made a great sacrifice to save the innocents. His behavior was not determined by outer forces, on the contrary, it was his inner conscience that motivates him to stand against external forces. As individuals, we have the discretions of making choices. We take consequences of our choices, and our choices determine what we are.

Additionally, when it comes to a person's way of life, his inner disposition plays a more predominant role. We may face similar difficulties during the lifetime, however, how we overcome these difficulties determines the path of our life. For instance, In the English language there're two words referring to the same situation: loneliness and solitude. "loneliness" is the pain of being alone, and "solitude" is the pleasure of being alone. "Loneliness" is the poverty of the spirit, and "solitude" is the richness of the spirit. Most people have to endure some periods without companionship in their life, either because of departures of family members or breakups with lovers. However, how we deal with this situation is decided by ourselves. To immerse into the pain and emptiness of being alone or turn it into the best opportunity one could have to discover new possibilities? It's all of our own making.

We cannot resist the influences that external forces have on us, but we're fully free to decide how we react on these influences. This very freedom is the reason we should be responsible for our choices, and it's what makes history interesting, humanity unpredictable, and life worth living.