(View from the living room window in Cordoba, Argentina)

I wonder about social conditioning; something my brother strongly believes determines all the choices we make. Taken to the extreme, social conditioning strips us of our freedom. If i had been born in Argentina would I have been a very different person? Would my atheist stance, highly organised and somewhat perfectionistic self have been suppressed? We all want to believe we have the means to choose and shape our lives but to what extent is this truly possible?

More to the point..does it even matter if we are happy with the life we're leading?