"It's in your blood," Mr. Dallas said. "You hear people say that kind of thing, but now you know it really is."
A growing understanding of human genetics is prompting fresh consideration of how much control people have over who they are and how they act. The recent discoveries include genes that seem to influence whether an individual is fat, has a gift for dance or will be addicted to cigarettes. Pronouncements about the power of genes seem to be in the news almost daily, and are changing the way some Americans feel about themselves, their flaws and their talents, as well as the decisions they make.
For some people, the idea that they may not be entirely at fault for some of their less desirable qualities is liberating, conferring a scientifically backed reprieve from guilt and self-doubt. Others feel doomed by their own DNA, which seems less changeable than the more traditional culprits for personal failings, like a lack of discipline or bad childhoods. And many find it simply depressing to think that their accomplishments might not be the result of their own efforts.
Parents, too, are rethinking their contributions. Perhaps they have not scarred their wayward children so much as given them bad genes. Maybe it was not their superior parenting skills that produced that Nobel laureate.
Whether a new emphasis on genes will breed tolerance or bigotry for inborn differences remains an open question. If a trait like being overweight comes to be seen as largely the result of genetic influence rather than lack of discipline, the social stigma connected to it could dissipate, for instance. Or fat people could start being viewed as genetically inferior. [READ IT ALL HERE]
This seems so obvious, it is a wonder it is even in question and yet through most of my lifetime, traits were considered the result of environment (nurture) rather than genes (nature) unless it had to do with your blue eyes or red hair. And yet, there were more times than I can count or remember when not only my Mother, but outsiders, would say, "you are just like your father when it comes to __x, y, or z__". My Dad died when I was barely thirteen, so how much influence did he have on my adult personality? And why is my son exactly like his Grandmother, who he spent very little time around until he was well into his thirties? I cannot climb a ladder, I suffer from vertigo, and like Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman," I find going out near the ledge to be a very frightening undertaking, yet my daughter, my adopted daughter, is a sky diver, loves crazy roller coasters, and seriously gets off on high risk ventures. Her birth father was the same way and yet he had no direct influence on her whatsoever.
My Grandmother was a concert pianist, her daughter was also a concert pianist, my Mother was a symphony-quality violinist, her first cousin was the chorale director for a well-known choir, his children are all accomplished musicians. Although I have had a bare minimum of formal musical training, I was tested and told I have what is called "a perfect ear" musically. This, to me, is a curse. Unlike those with perfect pitch who can reproduce any note perfectly, I hear all the missess, all the sharps and flats that shouldn't be there. It makes it hard for me to enjoy most commercial music available today. Is this my family's musical gene gone awry?
Comments