28 April 2011

Re: Genetics in "Born This Way"


This is a reply to PapaJay's comment on my previous post, "Born This Way". It was too long for a comment and that I find it fit for an entry...
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Diabetes, Tetralogy of Fallot, Alzheimers, Trisomy 21, Depression... 
Everything is affected by genetics. Genetics is generally a predisposing factor for everything, and I do understand that. But these genes may be silent to begin with and would require a certain exposure or stimulation to be activated. Then there's also mutations. And regulatory genes, and even counter regulatory ones.
Have I been born with a cleft palate, yes, I would embrace being "Born this way". Depression is affected by serotonin levels, which may be genetically impaired, but you can't really say "Life gave birth to Death, to sorrow, and to me" and that "I'm born this way, a depressive spawn of cold and shadow", could you? 
Genes do dictate our biological makeup, and may set a template for an archetype. But I don't see myself to be "Born this way", or any other way. I just don't grasp this idea of being born a certain "way". I'm simply born - to live, to love, to learn, to explore. Living would be beyond confinement. Perhaps that's the thing with being "Born this way", it's a 3 letter pyramid that has no doors nor windows. That I cannot live with.

2 comments:

Juan der Last said...

Wow. At talagang sinagot ako with a post. :)

All I'm saying is, all of us are born a certain way, with specific "benefits/disadvantages." How you choose to react to how your genes turned out is what determines your character.

I think you're disagreeing with how people play the victim and not take full control of their lives, choosing instead to blame genetics for the state of their lives. I agree with you. That is just plain lazy.

Victor Saudad said...

Consider the post a privilege :)
haha!

Well, basically we're agreeing with each other. In the first place I was referring to the Glee episode, which I find odd... there were (a lot of) scenes which bothered me regarding "Acceptance".