Cracking the Code of Life

Watching the film on the human genome project was amazing and very enlightening. It also brought up many questions for me. Would I want to know if I was predisposed to a condition or disease? I have had to think a long time on this. It is a very hard question. But in the end, I believe that I would not want to be tested. I am, by nature, a worrier. Knowing I was predisposed for a condition or disease and knowing there may not be a cure would grate on my nerves daily. I would worry about it constantly. I think the human psyche can manufacture symptoms in some cases. That is what I would be afraid of. I would worry myself into a diagnosis. I think I can sum up my feelings on the subject by saying, if it can't be fixed, why know about it. I understand the other side of knowing as well. As in the examples of Tay-Sach's disease, knowing you and your wife are carriers may make you change your mind about having children. But what if you have perfectly healthy children? I think we never know exactly what our life will turn out like. I like the fact of unknowing, mystery and leaving some things to chance or a higher power. Life would be boring and worrisome if we knew what was going to happen in the future, or perhaps happen, or not at all. I believe that I am better equipped to deal with things as they come up, rather than worry about them until they arrive.