We do well turning large boulders into smaller rocks, tiny stones into grains, and grains into powders. We do this part best.
The second thing we do is reconstruct those powders and grains to form stones and large rocks. Whether reconfiguring the DNA inside stem cells to grow new skin or cement powder to make concrete pillars, breaking things apart and putting them back together is our unique duo act. We don’t always get the process right, and outcomes sometimes ruin us, but we do our best just the same.
DNA. Steel. Cement. Food. Atoms. Molecules. Racism. Philosophy. Politics. Environment. Emotions. Love. Sex.
We take things apart to put them together better.
We want to understand. We truly do. Our existential hammer is held high, ready to break apart the next rock to find out what’s inside it and fix a lifelong humanity problem with what we learned. It’s just that we often create a new problem with the one we’re trying to solve. I’ll give you a, for instance:
Splitting the atom gave us new energy AND a devastating bomb.
Not everything we break apart turns bad. What about advancements in medicine?
Humanity discovered antibiotics. Once that rock was broken and we understood what stopped infections from devouring human flesh, we then built a drug to beat the organism. Yes, antibiotics have saved lives. It’s true. The negative side is what’s happened to bacteria. Our drugs are becoming ineffective because bacteria have evolved. Over-medicating and frequent antibacterial cleaning forced bacteria to adapt to survive. Bacteria built a new rock. People who should have survived the infection are now dying from it.
DNA. We’ve broken that rock into independent parts and put it back together.
We modify genes and screen for genetic imperfections. That’s why a tomato will become resistant to pests and grow in half the time. It’ll be plump and juicy, as it appears in any picture book. It’s also why a baby boy won’t be affected by genetic abnormalities. He’ll be born with blue eyes, blonde hair, and be six feet tall, just like his parents ordered him to be, just like the lab technicians programmed his cells to become.
I hear you digressing, Mitchell. You jumped ahead a bit. We can’t pre-program our children to have blue eyes and blonde hair.
We can. And we will. The science is ready. It’s just illegal to do it now. Give it time. Time changes everything.
I’m old enough to have seen many laws change. What was immoral yesterday isn’t tomorrow. Social opinion bends, and the law bends with it. Like bikinis, designer baby-making isn’t so shocking anymore. Acceptance of the process is anticipated. Guaranteed. Give it time.
So, let us forget ethics, morals, and law when looking at history. We’ve never had the power to say no and make it stick for long. And if we accept a picture-perfect tomato from our grocer, we’re a micro-step away from selecting the perfect baby from a DNA catalogue. If we don’t feel right about it today, tomorrow offers another opportunity. No is temporary. With time and a new perspective, it’s a yes in waiting.
Humans are best at breaking rocks. Rocks of law, morals, ethics, existentialism, medicine, gravity, space, religion, family, sex, and politics are all waiting for humans to bust apart. Our arrogance leads us to believe that we can put the components back together again in better ways, despite knowing mistakes have happened in the past. We still think we know better, and it won’t happen again.
Move forward. Break a rock. Put it together. Fix the mistake. Start over.
(by Mitchell Felding)
That was another glimpse into the inquisitive yet somewhat jaded mind of Mitchell Felding — a character in the SEETHINGS narrative. He’s asking questions about love, marriage, and the meaning of life. If you find yourself in a similar frame of mind, feeling lost in a topsy-turvy world, download yourself a copy now and join him inside its pages. – Michael
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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