Humanity has an enormous sense of self-importance. We like to think of ourselves as being centre stage – life revolves around us. We are Nature’s superior beings – the masters, the leaders, the controllers of this world.
But it’s a mistaken outlook. Although we may try to be, we are not the main participant in Nature’s affairs. We are merely a cog in a much greater machine. A much more significant and dominant force is present.
This refers to the arrangement, interaction and fluctuating fortunes of the genetic constituents that exist throughout Nature.
The world is not really about us; it is about our genes. They have created life in its present form; they shape life’s behaviours, and they will determine the future course of life.
Humanity only does what our genes command us to do.
We must also accept that our relationship is no different from that of any other living thing. Humanity is merely one evolutionary tendril in the process of genetic development. Admittedly, a very advanced one, one that has progressed beyond anything else. But that’s all we are – a single tendril of development. There’s nothing special about us; nothing that grants us favourable privileges; nothing that excuses us from the normal genetic rules of engagement.
This servitude and docility – that we exist for our genes – is demonstrated by considering the three standout features that define our relationship with our genes:
Firstly, the only enduring element in our human lives is our genes. It is our genes that carry on after we cease to exist. Death ends our human involvement in life, but not that of our genes.
Genes – providing they pursue the right genetic pathways – can last forever. They are what is passed on. Theirs is an ongoing journey. As they strive to continue their existence, they find a purpose. They actually have a future. They seem to be going somewhere.
In contrast, we cannot escape the fact that our existence is inherently limited. Whatever gains we make in extending our lifespan or quality of life, that existence will always be limited.
Secondly, as defined by Nature, our principal activity in life – the selection of a desirable reproductive partner – is governed by our genes. It is they who determine what we do and do not find attractive; it is they who tell us which genetic qualities we should seek; it is they who direct us towards prospective partners.
Our genes guide us along the genetic pathway that they want us to follow. They are telling us what we should be doing, the direction we should take.
Thirdly, our success or failure in life – whether that be in our partner selection or our ability to provide the environmental conditions for our offspring to thrive – is largely determined by our genetic make-up. Each of us is who we are because our genes have made us that way. Our intelligence, attractiveness, physicality, talents, health, emotional strength – in fact, everything about us – is genetically programmed.
Our genes shape us as individuals. They determine our capabilities. They establish what our potential might be.
These three aspects of our relationship all suggest that we exist and operate for the sake of our genes.
In Nature, it is our genes that are the basis of life; they dictate the order of life. Our genetic masters are the real rulers of this world. They are the central characters, with everything operating around their needs and directions.
For this reason, we must conclude that it is our genes that matter more than we do.
Humanity has been fortunate to have been the beneficiary of a genetic windfall. Our genes identified an evolutionary superhighway – an advantageous course that was good for their genetic advancement. They have then gone on to pursue that course – that tendril – for all it is worth.
And why wouldn’t they? If something is delivering a positive return, then they will want to make the most of it; they will want to exploit that advantage as much as possible.
Humanity’s endurance, status and achievements are on the coat-tails of this genetic success. It is our genes that found the golden ticket. We are merely going along for the ride. We have been a vehicle for our genes, the means by which a particular genetic selection has thrived.
This is a reality that some may struggle to accept. We are not always comfortable with subordinating our human status.
We used to believe that the Earth was at the centre of the universe, that the planets and the sun revolved around us. We now know differently. We now accept that there is a wider world.
Perhaps we must also come to terms with the idea that there is another world within us, one that we are beholden to, one that we live to serve.
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Genetically Wrapped 
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