Feline Musings

Visionary writers like Jack Williamson, Aldus Huxley, Isaac Asimov, and Carl Sagan to name a few, have written about futuristic societies, where genetic engineering is a predominant science. It’s a common thread that binds most writings that foresee the evolution of human society. Genetic engineering, as the cornerstone of future societies, refers to the science and practice of improving the nature and texture of most living organisms, with the prime motive of eradicating and eliminating genetic diseases. The concept is not new – ancient history has seen the rise of the Spartans – a Greek society that was based on the systematic purging of the weak in mind or body. It was a preliminary form of genetic engineering, where the DNAs were not manipulated, per se, but the aspects of heredity and choice-breeding were woven into mate-selection, child-bearing and child-rearing activities.

The earliest codes of conduct regarding marriage in Vedic societies were based on “marriages outside one’s kul-gotra” or clan-lineage. ‘Gotra’ is a patrilineal classification and identification of various families of a caste amongst the Hindus. This was designed to prevent marriages of siblings and was a measure of preventing genetic anomalies that can creep in when close relatives or kin intermarry. In the Hindu custom of horoscope-matching for matrimony, one of the biggest factors that determine whether a boy and girl can marry is the “nadi-factor”. There are three nadis or birth constellations in astrology Aadi, Madhya and Antya nadi. The partners should not have the same birth constellation, else they can have nadi-dosha or affliction, and it can result in problems related to birth and progeny. During horoscope matching, marriages with nadi-dosh are discouraged.

Selective breeding has also been a well-practiced science in both zoological and botanical worlds. We get to know of genetically engineered better, bigger, stronger species of animals and plants. In fact, when we think of it, Hitler’s call for a predominantly Aryan society and the genealogical extermination that followed was close to the Spartan concept of society. Charles Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” is an assertion of the fact that the genetically “better, bigger and stronger” will ultimately rule the Earth, or for that matter the Galaxies.

What was visualized has actually come to pass! Advancement in science and specifically in radiology have given parents-to-be and doctors’ the choice of taking educated decisions concerning birth of “unfit” babies. Nature, itself has a method of check in place – it’s believed that most early miscarriages and first trimester losses are due to chromosomal defects in the implanting embryo. Many parents are going in for genetic counseling and second trimester genetic profiling to ensure that the fetus doesn’t suffer from abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome.

While social activists and the moral brigade reckon these tests and ensuing decisions, like informed abortion, as a violation of the unborn child’s right to live, many parents and doctors see it as an effective way of eliminating life-long suffering for the child-to-be-born and the family. Ultimately, we have derived our own formula for a Spartan society. We may not be so ruthless or unreasonable, but the desire to have healthy offspring is a reflection of the highly competitive world that we live in, where only the best will survive.

Thinking about a competitive world, I can relate these thoughts also with our professional lives. Modern organizations have a performance appraisal system based on relative ranking, where a bell curve determines who is at the lowest rung of the ladder. In times of crisis, such as we face today of recession and shrinking profit margins, the relative ranking brings into effect the elimination of poor or average performers from the system. When the average performers are eliminated, in the next appraisal cycle, an attempt will be made to relatively rank the remaining good and best performers and once again eliminate those who trail behind the rest.

The irony of the situation is that the cyclic process will bring even the good and the best under close scrutiny and analysis. Even the best can buckle under such intense performance pressure. The same holds true for the code of life – the DNA – how long can it sustain the pressures of genetic mutation, transmutation, isolation, insertion, splicing, elimination and engineering. What if our quest for the best is unwittingly leads us to excessive elimination amounting to forced extinction?

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