The Gene Thing

Is there a shy gene? Is there a gene that makes you Obese? Is there a gene that causes diabetes? The list goes on and on. Researchers all over the world are finding new genes that are connected with a wide variety of illness and conditions. Does having the genes associated with diabetes mean you will have diabetes. Does having the gene/s associated with heart disease mean you will suffer from heart disease.

The research is still in its infancy but what is emerging is a picture that tells us that the genes are only 50% of the story. It seems that some people have a lot of the genes associated with the disease and do not have the disease while others have much less yet still have the disease which means that environment ( life style) has a large effect on how things ultimately play out. So what we are learning is that just because you have the genes associated with diabetes does not mean you will get diabetes. If you know early enough you can do some things or avoid certain activities and steer clear of the disease.

This shines an amazing light on what Torah has been telling us for thousands of years ( the fact that Science is helping us understand Torah in such a striking way is a direct result of us nearing the geuala when science and Torah will be synthesized) that even though you were born with a certain disposition does not mean you must act on it. For instance, if someone is born with an inclination to take things that dos not belong to them then does that mean that he is forced to act on this character flew. The answer is a resounding no! to use the example from medicine, as soon as you know what “Genes” you have you try to stay clear of anything that would bring you closer to the illness and the same is with our character flaws. we were given them to overcome them and ultimately change ourselves and get rid of these undesirable inclinations ( or use them to your advantage for something positive and uplifting) like someone who has a strong personally and uses it to dissuade people from doing things they should not be doing.) my feeling is that the same is going to happen in the world of medicine and Gene Technology were we will be able to first avoid certain behaviors and thus let this gene remain asleep and not hinder our performance in life and eventually we will be able to see the latent good found in some of these genes and learn how to utilize them to improve a persons health through these “bad” genes themselves.

the same holds true for our "spiritual" genes we must first recognize what "genes" we have and then we can work with them to first subdue them and then eventually find the hidden good within and utilize them for their full potential.