Can You Be Whatever You Want To Be?

*this is about physical attributes

Having flawless skin?
Being the strongest guy on Earth?
Turn your natural hair colour into unnatural ones, like green?

With genetic engineering, you can have all of these.

But, if you can do something, it doesn't mean you should do it.

My friends were having a discussion about using genetic engineering on altering physical characteristics, specifically on the ethics, and how religions effect our view about the ethics and the field itself. I am humbly and gratefully thankful to them for their views and ideas.

youtube.com

Here are some of the contents that I would like to highlight:

1. Most of us are modifying our physical characteristics, just for the sake of beauty and cosmetics.
Of course, you can say that genetic engineering does MORE than altering physical characteristics. But we cannot lie that, when we bring this topic to the society, most of us will be talking about how to use it to be more beautiful.

And this is bad. Why?

Because when we do have the power to change our looks, we will be constantly changing it, to meet the ideal specifications. And surely we know that this is not realistic. Thus, trying to pursue this oxymoronic situation is obviously not healthy for our self-development.
And since our ideal view changes by time, this shows that what we consider beautiful today, might not be beautiful tomorrow. And vice versa.
So why even bother? Just be you. Just be comfortable in your own skin.

2. Again, if you CAN do something, it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.
There's a difference between 'can' and 'should'. It can be literally distinguished, but may not be in our mindset.

For example, can you eat poop?
Although most people will exclaim "No, you can't eat poop!"
but you can.
You are physically able to pick it up and put it in your mouth, and swallow it.
So you can eat poop

But, should you eat poop?
All of us will obviously agree that we shouldn't.

So, of course we can, but should we modify our physical characteristics?

Yes we should, when we need it.

When just leaving them out brings more harm then good,
When modifying them helps you to live life more,

That is when you really should do it.

Otherwise, you only can do it. But most of the time, you shouldn't.

3. Why are we talking about this anyway?

Why are we so concerned about this new technology, that will bring benefit ONLY to our bodies?
We're all gonna die anyway. Why do we have too much concern on our appearance and beauty then?

There's a whole lot more important issues to be discussed.
Issues that are way more important than our physical attributes.
Issues that do not just affect the current time, but also the future.

Lack of manners in youths, increasing crime rate, effects of broken families to their household, the fact that there are millions of people, being denied of freakin' basic human rights,
just to name some.

Well, this shows that we are still society that still put our physical appearance on a high value.
People are still being selfish, still thinking about effects of the surrounding towards themselves, instead of the other way around.

I'm not saying that thinking about ourselves is wrong. It is the essence of human survival.
But, caring about one another, and trying to help them out, is also an important aspects of being a human.

So again,
with genetic engineering, can you be whatever you want to be?

Yes, you can.

But, should you?