Humans, Edited

Today was a different day in all respect, unlike other days I did not have much to do. There were no kids sneezing unannounced or talking incomprehensible things, then there was no mother shouting at the top of her lungs in full volume to do chores, there were no art attacks inside my head that needed me to scribble, stitch or draw.

In fact it was out of ordinary and I enjoyed the tranquillity. In an otherwise hot day, I sat in my parents’ air-conditioned room like a cosmopolitan queen sipping on my green tea and reading the paper. ‘Genome Editing’- the phrase caught my eye and piqued my curiosity. Science has taken such huge leaps that now there are techniques available to mankind that can make the smallest changes in the DNA composition of a living being with pinpoint accuracy.

It took me awhile to understand the full meaning of this beyond just the definition, I mean the effects and implications it will have. It could change a way of life; in fact it could change almost everything. In our quest to be PERFECT, we will lose all sensibility of beauty and ugly or right and wrong!!

Of course it will help cure diseases but how about this, if no one falls sick there will be no one taking care of no one!! No one would be empathetic; hence the sentiment will be extinct. Who would have thought that was possible? A sentiment could be extinct? There might not be boys with cleft-ed chins and girls with cute freckles. The little joys of finding something adorable in someone will be lost. Everyone might have dimples since that’s something everybody finds cute!! But maybe it will lose its innate value once it’s reproduced mindlessly. The glitches in humans will vanish and with it so will the senses of finding something beautiful or pitiful or lovely or ugly.

Humans will eventually emerge as a super-perfect race with superior quality flawless genes (like Hitler always dreamed of). Get this, as of now we crave for designer clothes, houses, cars, almost everything right down to our underwear but a day will come when we’d brag about having designer kids! Crazy right!?! We could edit our partners and make all the irritating habits go away (you must be thinking: what a dream come true!!) but is that what we’d want? A perfect life that is so perfect that it is almost scary!! PHEW!

LOVE J

With great power comes great responsibility

ADITI