Genes as potentials

You might think of genes

As determiners of fate

If you have ‘tall genes’

You are fated to be tall

If you have ‘high IQ genes’

You are fated to have high IQ

If you have ‘healthy genes’

You are fated to be healthy



Or you might think of genes

As limiters on growth

If you have ‘short genes’

Your will be short

And never grow taller

If you have ‘low IQ genes’

Your will be low IQ

And never grow smarter

If you have ‘disease genes’

You are fated to be diseased

And never get healthier


But these ways of thinking

Are really quite wrong

The way to think about genes

Is to think about them as potentials


If you have ‘tall genes’

This means you have greater potential

To end up much taller

Than someone with ‘short genes’

But you still might end up being shorter



If you have ‘high IQ genes’

This means you have greater potential

To score a higher IQ

Than someone with ‘low IQ genes’

But you still might end up scoring lower IQ



If you have ‘healthy genes’

This means you have greater potential

To live a disease-free life

Than someone with ‘disease genes’

But you still might end up disease-ridden


How can all this be true?

Many, many, many reasons!
You could call it ‘your environment’

But it is much richer than that

It is your friends or family, living conditions, and diet

It is your teachers, schools and learning

It is your doctors, hospitals and medication



Your genes are not your fate

Your genes are not your limit

Your genes are your potentials

Embrace and overcome them

To live up to your full potential