I was just reading a book about genes and how so many of our actions may be traced to specific genes.
As I was reading this, I wondered is it truly genes or is it habit, choice, or habitat that decides who we are?
I agree that genes help decide if we have blonde, brown, black or red hair, recessive or good gums, thin or thick or no hair at all but do they decide if we are an honest or dishonest person? A religious or spiritual person? A liberal or conservative person? I think the jury is still out on that…..
I believe we have free will and can choose the path we take, not that it is preordained at the moment of conception.
What do you think?
© Evelyn Garone 8.1.13
The Oracle Of Ahwatukee . . . 
I have a hard time believing that genes are directly responsible for our thoughts and values…however, things like personality and temperament seem to have a basis in genetics. I can also see how genetics might over- or under-develop certain areas of the brain, making people more prone to certain behaviors or beliefs. But I don’t think that we should mitigate environmental influences–lived experience, culture, etc. Genetics might make us predisposed to certain things, but the environmental exposures we experience would seem to influence whether or not those predispositions ever develop.
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Well said….I agree!
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