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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Insurance
  • Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 15:02:31 EST



> Luck, shmuck. See my earlier post on luck.
>

I still have that post on my inbox. I was a bit surprised to see it, talking
about choices having anything to do with the mess in which people find
themselves used to be very dangerous on this list.

In the middle ages health was viewed (by those who left any writings at any
rate) as something that was written in the stars and there was nothing you
could do about it. The idea of getting rid of the rats or washing your hands
was
ludicrious. How could that affect what was written in the stars?

Genetics is the modern day astrology. People are looking for "the" gene that
causes this or that much as people were looking for the bad alignment of the
stars (a "dis-aster") in an earlier time. They found a pattern in a study of
the stars about to the extent that we find such patterns today in genetics.

All this and a great deal of observation has led me and many others to view
genetics as a minor factor at best. I remember person after person after
person in the 50's and 60's telling me about their smoking, "Ah, when your
number's
up, it's up. Nothing you can do about it." Now all those people are dead
and the ones who didn't smoke are pretty much all still alive. An over
belief
in genetics is much like that.

Simon Binet, when he advocated his test for use in selecting candidates for
the French Civil Service, was asked if the test measured inate, inborn,
genetic
ability. His reply was (to wit) "Even if that were true, to what possible
use could we put that knowledge?"

People use genetics as an excuse to dismiss their horrible personal choices.
But in reality even if you knew you were genetically predisoposed to this or
that, what difference would that make? Health is optimized by a peaceful
mind, good exercise (a code word for 'work'), and the best diet you can get.

This is true whether you have the genes of Superman or a sickly invalid.

As has been pointed out, just looking at the same condition showing up in
three generations of the same family doesn't do it. Families also pass down
attitude and lifestyles.






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