By Brenda Black
If you knew a choice you made would
result in the chances of your dying being one in ten, would you take
that risk? If you answered yes, you might just have a thrill-seeker
gene.
With recent advances in molecular biology and the use of in-depth
twin studies, scientists are beginning to reveal that not only our
physical characteristics – height, weight, hair and eye color –
but also our personality traits involve a significant genetic
component. Studies suggest that thrill seeking is 59 percent
heritable, happiness 80 percent heritable, and assertiveness 60
percent heritable.
Our genetic inheritance also apparently influences
other behavioral attributes including leadership, religious belief,
anxiety, extroversion, alienation, traditionalism, and career choice.
Twin studies show the heritability of most personality traits at
around 50 percent.
My guess is that the more than 300
climbers who have received official permits to climb Mt. Everest from
the Nepali side this season have a genetic predisposition for such
daring feats. And already at least three climbers have died while
returning from the summit. But did genetics force them to make the
climb or is there more involved than simple DNA?
Molecular biologist Dean Hamer draws an important distinction
between temperament (what we’re born with) and character (what we
learn). “One of the biggest myths is that something is genetic,
therefore it is fixed. And of course this simply isn’t true,” he
says. “All these genes do is give us a disposition one way or
another. Whether we act on that is still very much a matter of free
will or choice.”
In an article, “Predestination by Genes”, by Kevin Sharpe with
Rebecca Bryant, the writers state: “Consider how some of us arrive
in this world with a genetic predilection for thrill seeking. Some
fear nothing and will do anything – hang-gliding, parachuting, or
bungee jumping. But no one can predict what thrill-seekers will make
of their predilection. A thrill-seeker may become a fire fighter or a
drug addict. Free choice enters here. We may inherit very broad-brush
personality traits, but how we choose to mold those characteristics
depends on us.”
Well, fooey! I can't blame my parents
for all my shortcomings or my crazy mistakes. I can't even blame God
by complaining that this is just the way He made me and the rest of
the world has to put up with it. I have to take some responsibility
and shape the crux of who I am into someone I want to be, not just
someone with whom I am stuck for eternity. The goal is to work in
spite of, or in partnership with, the fundamental components that
define each one of us. Our choices determine the outcome and define
our character. The time has come to fashion our own destinies with
input from some place other than the DNA helix. Wise choices, good
company, clean living, kind actions, smart decisions, and
unselfishness are decisions of the heart, not directives affixed to
the genomic map.
So which is better – succumbing to
genetic instinct or determining your fate by conscience decision?
Maybe it's not a matter of better or worse, but of seeking the best
combination. Whatever your genetic bent, whoever God has created you
to be is perfectly fine as long as you couple those predispositions
with purposeful decisions. The most important is to choose to follow
Christ. From that point on, you can conquer any mountain on which you
set your sites. And when you face your fears or even death, you'll
still experience the thrill of a great ascension, safe in the arms of
a Heavenly Father. He's known you from the beginning and He's
watching what you'll make of this exciting conquest.
Be who you are; who you were created
to be. And become the best you possible by seeking God's will every
step of the journey. That's a climb that ends in victory no matter
where or how the original plan began.
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