This book is about you. When you are born, you are what you are; a genetic potpourri. When do you begin to have choices? People are quick to poo-poo astrological signs, but are these not speculations based a a simple date, or alignment of planets at the time of our birth? Read on and try to determine how few choices we really have.
I have heard it said that there is at least “one book in each and every one of us.” After a full lifetime, or even just a fraction of a lifetime, each of us carries an accumulation of experiences and events, which, if documented, could provide a fascinating read. As you read on, you will begin to write this story yourself. Did you ever wonder if your real reason for reading fiction is to find a story that describes your own story? It has already been proven that each of us eventually ‘identifies’ with a character (or characters) in the fictional material that they read. Many of us who faithfully maintain a journal have the satisfaction of doing just that. But until a third party views it, it is only your own speculation; rather subjective, at best.
You cannot be coerced to relate to what is written here, but, no matter who you are, if you allow yourself to view it with an open mind, you will see parts of yourself emerging from many of the paragraphs contained within.
I am not a geneticist, but I fully realize the important effect that our genetic imprint has, and will have, on who we will be, and what we will become. More than 500 years ago the Church realized that human social and religious orientation must begin at infancy and be sustained during the first ten years of our lives (the formative years) if a lifetime of domination through dogma were to become possible. Brainwashing wasn’t called brainwashing back then, but it was indeed alive and flourishing during that period.
If we evaluate our situation from the moment of our birth, the building of our icon (or brand) begins. From the moment we take our first breath, we are labeled, tagged, sometimes chipped, graded (not unlike eggs) and placed in a virtual social and anatomical file. Someday, if genetic engineering becomes the norm, we will be bred by sex, eye color, race, ethnicity, intelligence, physical stature, and many other criteria.
Just so we don’t start out with mixed signals, our ethnic or racial origin is front and center, even if we never see or come to know our birth parents; we are what we are. Each of us is a marvelous amalgam of protein, fat, calcium, water, and a host of other minerals and matter. But, unless we were raised by wolves, we already had a pretty daunting identity five minutes after we were born. The first words heard by a newborn defines his or her first label; “It’s a (boy) (girl)!”
The next label that is attached to most of us, is our name, and unless we object to it after the age of 21, we will carry it for our lifetimes. Our next label will be our religion and future spiritual path. We don’t get to choose our religion, it is bestowed upon us (hopefully) at birth. A little later on, a baptism, confirmation, or some exercise in human dedication will be held to seal the deal. From that point forward, most of us are “in it for the duration.” In America, in addition to being a tiny Methodist, Presbytarian, Buddhist, Catholic, or Jew, most of us automatically become Republicans, Democrats, Independents, or Anarchists by the time we are ten minutes old.
In the next few months, and perhaps for the remainder of your life, you will be either an ectomorph, a mesomorph, or perhaps, an endomorph. You will actually become defined by the way your body metabolizes it’s food and your body shape will reflect this for the rest of your days. You can fight it through diet and exercise, but in the end it is just a part of our genetic imprint; we are what we are! All this before we even get to interact with another human being besides our birth-parents!
A twin, triplet, or quad? Lucky you! Detailed comparisons will begin immediately, and much of your ‘individuality’ will be thrown to the wind.
Critique by comparison – with siblings or even cousins or other family’s children.
We obtain the imprint of our future – early on.
The first time we see our personage reflected in a mirror, we begin building “the Icon that is me.”
The icon that is me.
Did Betty Crocker possess a runaway libido?
