Born Into Circumstances - The Power of Environment

 Born Into Circumstances - The Power of Environment


From the beginning, the two Wes Moores were born into different versions of the same world. Both lived in poor neighborhoods and faced the challenges that come with growing up Black and male in America. Yet even within these similarities, small differences in luck, who raised them, what schools they went to, who supported them, created vastly different starting lines.

The author Wes was fortunate to have a mother who acted quickly and forcefully when he began to spiral. She had help from her parents, who were well-educated and could offer emotional and financial support. That kind of family safety net is a form of luck. It’s not something Wes earned, it was something he received, and it made all the difference. Having access to a family that prioritized education, respected authority, and valued structure gave him a foundation that allowed him to recover from mistakes.

The other Wes had a mother who cared deeply, but was left isolated by a system that stripped away her resources. Without a degree, her job options were limited. Without a reliable support system, her kids were vulnerable to the streets. When Wes's older brother Tony, already involved in drug dealing, became his role model, it set the stage for a repeating cycle. In that context, choosing the “right path” becomes much harder. Even the simple act of avoiding trouble can feel impossible when you're surrounded by violence, poverty, and limited opportunity.

This blog post challenges the idea that people simply “rise above” their circumstances. The truth is, some people are born into storms, and it takes more than willpower to escape. Environment shapes expectations, opportunities, and access. Sometimes, just being born into a more supportive setting is the luckiest thing that can happen to a person. The author Wes didn’t succeed only because he was smarter or more determined, he succeeded because someone caught him when he fell.

In the book, we see the ripple effect of environment: bad schools, unsafe neighborhoods, and broken systems make it harder for kids like the other Wes to make positive choices. Even when he tried to make a change, such as attending job corps, there were too many forces pulling him back into the cycle of crime. These aren't excuses; they're realities. And they show that the playing field is far from level.

When we ask why someone “didn’t make it,” we often ignore the context. It’s easy to assume that the other Wes could have made better choices, but would we do any better in his shoes? If your role models were drug dealers, your school didn’t care whether you passed or failed, and your family was stretched thin, what would your choices look like?

This post reminds us that environment isn’t just background noise, it’s a major player in shaping lives. Understanding this helps us see people with more compassion and makes us more aware of the changes needed in our society. Because until every child has access to a safe, supportive environment, stories like the other Wes’s will continue to repeat.

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