Ordinarily, when asked to describe the development of one’s character, one would respond with

accounts of childhood experiences or memorable moments in his or her life. Character is built
throughout one’s entire life, and from each situation comes a lesson learned. Whether it be family,
friends, teachers or peers, the influence of any of these external forces can strongly shape anyone’s
character as a child. But consider this, as Malcolm Gladwell did in his chapter of Tipping Points, "The
Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime," the streets we walk down
and the things to which we are exposed in the outside world have just as much an impact in shaping
who we are and who we will become.