Page 49 - WTP Vol. IX #6

She’ll grow out of it.
I believe she has.
At 13, however, slipups do occur.
She keeps her wallet behind the bookshelf now.
All inquiries begin with a question through which one forms a hypothesis. The question I wish to explore is one that I believe has no answer, though you are free to prove me wrong.
ents no longer blame themselves for my mistakes. They refuse to take responsibility for the genetic source of my slip-ups. Those belong to me now. I suppose even genes have an expiration date.
My sisters have not reached their deadlines yet. I hope they never do. As the oldest it is my responsibility to bear the weight of disappointment.
I am to be a role model for sisters who have already sur- passed me.
But good news! The National Human Genome Institute reports: “DNA is not your destiny. The way you live influ-
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thought. Why are parents so disgusted when they see their own
reflection in their child’s eyes?
Let me ponder.
Scientifically, during the process of fertilization, sperm and egg combine and their respective 23 chromosomes scramble to form a zygote with 46. An even split of
odd pairs. Half from the sperm receiver, half from the
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egg attacker . These small worm-like strings of code
are the architects of entire identities. Hair, eye color, muscle mass, left handedness, and assigned sex are all predetermined settings. However, even in this age-old process, followed by all other mammalian species, a mistake is bound to happen. One slip up, just one vari- ant within that code results in a life threatening illness, a genetic disorder, or syndrome. Nature makes it clear, abnormalities are not welcome. Parents make this very clear as well.
Yet the question still remains.
Why the confusion?
Why the disgust?
Why do they look at my stubbornness and not see their own?
My green eyes are a direct reflection of theirs and yet at times they look at me as if a stranger. Mother, why are you angry with me?
I am your own flesh and blood, the apple that fell not far. I swear.
There comes a time when parents distance themselves from a child’s singularities. Suddenly, the child’s exhib- ited traits become their own and the providers of those traits are somehow wiped from history. Autonomy is once again returned, but at a price.
Epigenetics6 is here to provide some solace. Researchers of this field dedicate their entire lives to fooling people into believing they have a choice in this genetic matter.
According to them, environment, lifestyle choices, gen- erational trauma, they all play a role in shifting our genetic makeup. According to them, just because we are assigned an unchanging codex of 46 chromosome commandments, we can chip away at the stone they are written in.
In the end, the age old question returns: nature or nur- ture?
Are genetics to blame for human behavior or the up- bringing our family provides?
Do social relationships, culture, and traditions truly have the power to overcome centuries of genetic history?
I offer a third explanation: neither.
It is not nature or nurture but both and neither at the same time. Even if you do believe that hereditary traits do not define our destinies, we have nevertheless been groomed by the very ones who provided us with the traits in the first place.
Daughters become their mothers, sons become their
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4 Half from the sperm receiver, half from the egg attacker. For a more scholarly exploration of genomes, fertilization, and the intricacies of sex, I propose in depth analysis of the following links: https://www. merckmanuals.com and https://www.genome.gov
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ences how your genome works
.” So let us explore that
My 18th birthday was my deadline.
That was the night my every quality was tinged with the bitter aftertaste of disappointment. Since then, my par-
...how your genome works. The hope-filled article on genes can be found here: https://www.nigms.nih.gov
6Epigenetics: an in depth explanation: https://www.whatisepigenetics.com
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