Environment

1.  Environment consists of the following:

•  Home: positive or negative influences 
• School: peer pressure 
• Work: supportive or over critical supervisor 
• Media: television, newspapers, magazines, radio, movies 
• Cultural background 
• Religious background 
• Traditions and beliefs 
• Social environment 
• Political environment

All of these environments create a culture. Every place be it a home, organization or a country has a culture. Have you noticed that sometimes you go to a store and you find the salesperson polite, the supervisor, manager and owner polite as well? Yet you go to another shop and you find everyone rude and discourteous.
 You go to a home and you find the kids and parents well-behaved, courteous and considerate. You go to another home where everyone is fighting like cats and dogs.
 In countries where the government and political environment is honest, generally you will find that the people are honest, law abiding and helpful. And the reverse is true too. In a corrupt environment, an honest person has a tough time. Whereas in an honest environment, the corrupt one has a tough time. In a positive environment, a marginal performer's output goes up. In a negative environment, a good performer's output goes down.
 Culture in any place always goes top down, never bottom up. We need to step back and look at what kind of environment we have created for ourselves and those around us. It is tough to expect positive behavior in a negative environment. Where lawlessness becomes the law, honest citizens become cheats, crooks and thieves. Isn't it time to evaluate the environment that we are in or we have created for others?