Companionship

Why do we lead others? Why do we follow others? Why do some seem to lead or follow none?

Questions that you have to answer for yourself.

But you can find the answer in this question: why do you read blogs?

I used to look for a core being within me so I could clearly say, "This is who I am without any influence from another human being." I was led to believe such a core existed in my misunderstood youth because I showed interest in what others had to say. They in turn assumed I reflected their interests and must be like them. They told me, "See, at your base/core, you are like me, so follow my way and you will find happiness and joy." Zen and the Art of Misreading Others.

I know now there is not a "core," as such, unless you say I am a product of a sperm meeting an egg, making my core a DNA thing.

My DNA. Sounds like a song. "My DNA/ My DNA/ Won't you play with my DNA?"

We all fetch, decode and execute our DNA before we even know how to spell deoxyribonucleic acid.

Now we can toss our DNA into a cup and read it like tea leaves. Diviners can predict our future based on our DNA traits and propensities.

We have gene therapy to repair ourselves somewhat.

We have genetically modified food and animals to eat or experiment on.

We can design our own children.

And soon, we will have completed the design of our first living being from scratch.

Futurists and science fiction writers (two sides of the same coin) show us bright or grim futures based on the use or abuse of DNA modification. The future is rarely so one-sided.

My life is half over. I have no offspring, although I could produce them if I wanted to contribute sperm to someone else's egg.

How long will it be before we can simply hand a tuft of hair, a fingernail clipping or small piece of skin to a medical technician, bring up our DNA code, compare it against a list of potential partners on the genetic version of an e-dating service, see what the DNA combination would be like, make a few modifications, and receive a newborn baby to care for nine or fewer months later?

The answer to the questions at the top of this blog entry is plain to see and I'm sure you figured out it's the title of this blog - companionship.

How many of us will fulfill our destiny to have kids and take care of our family by seeking companionship through modified DNA babies, not bothering with a partner to share the baby care, using the community to help raise our babies, instead? Many women are already using artificial insemination to produce babies for themselves. Many others use surrogate mothers.

I say this a lot but the future is now. We don't have a core that's implacable. We don't have to depend on our biological parents' procreation to define who we are. We can change our DNA makeup, clean out some (and soon all) of the genetic defects, and when or if we feel like adding a companion to our lives, we can create a new human with some of our best DNA features.

How long will it be before social pressures drive humans to feel responsible for society and only fit in when they've created designer babies? [In other words, if you have a baby with a serious birth defect, you are ostracized for your selfishness.] Okay, I've got this ol' dusty crystal ball here and have figured out how to use it. The gap between rich and poor keeps growing. Thus, until designer baby companies bring prices down to at least lower middle class economic levels, then the only subcultures for which designer babies will become the norm will come from those where big toys and designers boys and girls are a drop in someone's economic bucket.

Meanwhile, foster care, adoption, surrogate birth and artificial insemination will drive the non-natural birth child production and companionship creation process.

I don't have kids. I have my wife and she has me. We are companions for each other, satisfied with our selfishness in not having kids. We do not participate in a lot of local social functions because of our lack of children (PTA meetings, school events, church events, etc.). So why should I care about the future, if I don't have a vested interest? That's a question for the ages, one I'll meditate upon for the rest of my life. That's why I lead a benign existence, freely letting the rest of the parented world use or abuse the planet, because the planet will belong to someone else's kids, not mine. I'm happy here to eat a few crumbs and delight in the wonders of the universe.

Those of you with kids are the ones who should investigate for yourselves whether global warming is really in your hands or out of your control. It honestly doesn't matter to me one way or the other. All the same, I like spending time in what's left of the untamed wild, so I'm doing my part to keep my energy use under control.

I'm sticking around to share my experiences with others, tell a few tall tales, laugh, cry, and enjoy casual companionship. That's why I don't take life seriously. I found the facts of life on the tracks of life and punched myself a ticket on the fun train a long time ago. Very few of you will be around to see life in 200 years but keep in mind that whatever you do now, your offspring will experience the consequences.

My seventh great-grandfather stood with other men on a raised landscape called King's Mountain and fought against other men over the issue of control of a section of North America. Because of his determination to fight, he helped lay the foundation for the United States of America. What did he think about? I don't know. From historical records I know he hunted animals, killed Native Americans and later kept slaves. Do I excuse his behavior? From today's societal norms, no, I don't. From what he faced in the late 1700s, I bet I would have accepted what he did were I his child. In any event, I carry many parts of his DNA in me (I, like him, stand over six-feet tall and have red hair). I will not pass his DNA on. A side path of the genetic trail of his dead-ends with me. His Scots-Irish heritage will continue through someone else, instead. In other words, I am his consequences 200 years later. Think about it.