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Here's something I wrote based on a synthesis of maany thoughts I've had.... Wendy Tebay DEFINING THE HUMAN GENOME (AN EPIC POEM) Defining the human genome. Is it within our grasp? Will it be our saviour Or the cross that we bear? "NEW GENE FOUND, LINKED TO SUCH AND SUCH DISEASE!!" Cry the media to a captive audience. "GENE THERAPY CURES US OF ALL OF OUR WOES!" Are we really deficient, Or have man-made chemicals Altered the playing field? Biodiversity and a varied genetic pool, In nature, gives us our strength and protects the species By allowing for adaptation and evolution. But now, variety may prove to be our downfall, As our former strength opens us to unnatural forces. Are we now evolving into a species, Kept artificially alive, Using technology to save us From technology which kills? Receptors in our bodies welcome in deadly Dioxin, Allowing it to change our DNA. How then do we define the human genome? Do we measure it prior, or subsequent to, repeated exposure? Are our genes deficient, or have we made them so? Do we want to evolve to where we can purposefully alter our genes, Making us impervious to toxic bombardment? Or should we consider, not only ourselves, But also the other creatures who also make the earth their home? Religious & Spiritual leaders from across the spectrum, Are joining together in an unprecedented, unified voice, To remind us and humble us before the sanctity of life, Not only of our own. Hundreds of varieties of domesticated animals, specially bred, Attest to humanity's previous tinkerings with the fabric of life. Was this also immoral? Probably not. What may be more immoral is that many ancient domesticated species, Developed by man, and also the wild species, Are now becoming extinct via Man. Will this now happen to those of us deemed to be "different"? Current trends push us toward greater conformity and uniformity, To which I must rebel. A world in which exist communities where the number of units having Blue doors, Green doors, and Brown doors Is strictly regulated. On one hand we speak of environmental issues, And on the other, Disallow as unsightly, the energy-saving method of drying clothes out of doors, And cover our generic-looking lawns with poisons, To kill pests that survive to annoy us anyway. Give me the fire, Give me the forbidden fruit, Save me from passivity For I cannot long live in a world in which I have no personal expression, Even if it derives from "deficient" genes. It is not simply, Could we or Should we, manipulate nature, All life does so, adapting its environment to meet its needs. The question is, How far do we go? Are we as a species yet mature enough to do so? And to those who say we must not play God, I must also somewhat disagree, For God is in you And God is in me. The problem comes when we are not in touch with God, Whatever form our own personal version may take. Then instead of acting in accord with the rythms of life, We create discord, disease, and death. The questions are endless, the answers unknown. Just as Yin and Yang are opposite extremes, Each complementing the other, Both containing part of the whole, Both sides of this issue have the same goal, Life, Just a different approach. According to the Tao, Nothing in and of itself is right or wrong, All just IS, according to its nature. But we should not dismiss those joined in union To remind us of our responsibilities. Had this unity exist over half a century ago, The world might never have had to mourn for those victims of genetic discrimination Of the Holocaust. Human nature allows us to consciously define and create our reality, As genetic tinkering would also allow us to do. We must not forget, however, the lessons of history, Which might have foretold an unimaginably evil reality, Of which few would have survived. Let us then live by our nature And walk the path of Inquiry and Creation, In wisdom and complete awareness Of what we ARE.