Genetic Devastation??

I had a thought today and I thought it was worth sharing. I read an article several weeks ago about poverty and economic environments and their lasting effects on a person. The article covered a research study with results that indicate the effects of your economic environment growing up change your DNA, and thus stay with you well into adulthood. Simply put, something like poverty can change the way your brain works such that the DNA of your cells is changed permanently. You never grow out of it and your thinking and behaviors are forever impacted by the change. This can be seen in a myriad of ways such as your eating habits, your learning tendencies, and your financial habits and behaviors.

In pondering this concept and its implications for human development, I began to wonder about other areas of life. What if all experiences in childhood, not just economic environment, affect our DNA and our development as a whole? Do the emotional and behavioral environments we grow up in change our DNA forever? Specifically, does an early life of devastation, grief, and abuse affect us to such an extent that the very makeup of our physical cells are changed? If so, how do we cope with this? How do we attempt to address this change and account for it in our continued development?


As a person who endured much devastation early in life, I have often wondered to what extent that devastation will continue to play a role in my life. How long will the effects last? How much of my life is affected by my earlier experiences? I can tell you from experience that I am continually surprised to realize just how much my earlier life experiences have shaped me as a person. Sometimes I wonder if the person I have become is truly who I am or the creation of an environment I had no control over. I am sure there are many people out there who could ask themselves the same question and this article on changes in DNA led me to wonder if perhaps there might be actual physical answers to these questions. If something such as our economic environment as a child can impact us to such a point that the very DNA of our cells in altered, is it such a large leap of faith to assume that our emotional and behavioral environments would impact us just as greatly? I don't think so. In fact, I think there is probably a greater probability that an emotional and behavioral environment early in life impacts you for the rest of your life.

If this is the case, and our earlier experiences do indeed change our DNA, what does that mean for those of us who had a traumatic early environment? What does it mean for us as we try to heal and grow in a new healthy environment? I've often asked myself how long it would take me to no longer be affected by my past. Yet, if the findings of the above mentioned article are true and can be applied to more than just early economic environment, it seems there is a chance that I will never truly be able to "get over" my past. It seems that certain parts of me have been forever altered and will forever affect the way I make decisions, the way I feel, the way I learn to do new things, and the perspectives I have on just about anything. While that completely makes sense to me, it is also very frightening. While trying to recover, you tell yourself that much of what you are going through is all in your head and if you just learn to think differently about things, you will recover much faster and much better. You like to think that the struggles you are having are all mental and thus can be conquered by changing your thinking. However, if your DNA is affected and has been altered permanently, that suggests that the struggle you are having are not just mental and do not necessarily have some finite end point. This has a lot of terrifying potential outcomes for someone who has endured much devastation early in life. Perhaps this means you will never truly be free of those awful experiences. Perhaps you will never truly rid your mind of the altered way of thinking that took place as a result of those experiences. Perhaps they are somehow then transferable to your offspring. Troubling thoughts for a person like me.

Returning

Well, my vacation is over and I have returned to work and the regular rhythm of my day-to-day life. I can't say that I'm sad to be back, but I'm not delighted either. My time off was nice and it was great to catch up with family and friends. However, I wish I had more time to just relax and before plunging back into my busy schedule. Perhaps it's a god thing I didn't. Certainly my pocketbook couldn't handle much more of a break. I guess it doesn't really matter either way because I am back and things are happening around me left and right. I am thankful, however, that it was a short work week. I have this weekend to catch my breath and organize myself some more before I have to fully submerge myself into my work. I shouldn't complain. I did have 2 weeks off and I do enjoy my job. Life could definitely be worse. So, with that, I will stop whining about having a job and needing to work and I will focus instead on all the great adventures that are waiting for me. :)

Untitled

Well, I've tried writing about this Christmas season 3 different times now, and to no avail. I simply cannot sum up what I want to say in a single blog post. Plus, I am having difficulty keeping myself focused on one thing long enough to finish it before I flit to the next thing. *Sigh* I will eventually conquer this. In the meantime, please bear with me and don't stop checking in on me. I promise you will be rewarded. :)

Wintry Reflections

I'm sitting on my couch watching the snow fall outside. It's beautiful. The large flakes are blanketing the landscape in a quiet beauty that only snowfall can accomplish. The snow that has fallen on the ground is accumulating into large piles of white crystals resembling piles of tiny sparkling diamonds. So gorgeous, so amazing. It's incredible to realize that each one the billions of snowflakes lying outside my window is unique. How amazing is God! I love still, quiet mornings like this, when I have time to sit and reflect on the wonders around me, to soak in all the spectacular beauty that God has placed in this world. Honestly, there are no words that can properly sum up what I see and feel. I'm not sure why I keep trying to use my feeble language to describe something as magnificent and beyond comprehension as the creative power of God. Still, the awesomeness of it all fills my heart to such a point, that I can't help but try. I think this must be what the author of the song "How Great Thou Art" experienced as he penned the words, "Then sings my soul, My Saviour, God to Thee, How great Thou art!" I don't know if my soul is any better at expressing to my Saviour how in awe of Him I truly am than my physical attempts at doing so, but somehow, I think it is. I like to believe that my soul can commune with the Lord in a way that is unhindered by the boundaries and shortcomings of my physical body because my soul has been renewed by the saving life of Christ in me. Whatever the case may be, I do know that whenever I stop and take the time to see God in the things around me - His creation, my circumstances, the many wonderful things in my life - I am overcome with a deep sense of gratitude and wonder at Who God is and what He has done. I may not be able to sum that up accurately in words or expressions, but I know that the Lord sees my heart, and the message has gotten through to the One it was intended for.