In 1940, identical twins were born and then adopted by different families.  The parents took home their sons to their individual corners of the universe and began their new lives together.  The twins knew that they had been adopted, but each was unaware of the existence of the other brother until shortly before they met 39 years after their birth. Both boys were named James, chose to buy a light blue Chevy and named their childhood dogs Toy.   Unlike these twins, my fraternal twin sister, Sarah, and I have not spent more than four days apart since birth.

Initially upon analyzing both scenarios reasonably one would assume that, Sarah and I were practically the same person.  But in fact, the case is the exact opposite.  Sarah and I are so different that people often do not believe that we are twins, let alone related.  The logic of the relationship between the James twins and Sarah and I seems off, and intrigued me to question the theory of nature versus nurture.

At the beginning of the twentieth century nature, all the genetic factors, was believed to be the strongest influence in the lives of twins.  This side pronounces that one’s genetics is the strongest influence that creates their individuality.  Many examples strayed from nature, which led to the theory of nurture, the idea that the behavior of an individual is determined by the elements present in one’s surrounding environment.

Based on my own experience, I side with the view of nature.  Both Sarah and I have been exposed to the same family, the same schools, vacations and virtually everything else, but we still have opposite thoughts and opinions about anything and every thing.  In contrast, the James twins have lived completely opposite lives and still exhibit identical behavior.

As a twin I can vouch for unusual connections and unique encounters that any singleton will never have the chance to experience.  Had Sarah and I been separated at birth and then reunited, I believe there would be few similarities amongst us. Whether it be nature or nurture that champions the other, I believe what really makes us unique is the experience of being a twin.