My Sister and Why It's So Hard To Stay Quiet
Monday, December 18, 2006
| Big news...little sis is pregnant... I don't really know how I feel about that. I love my little sister more than life itself and I would do anything for her. But.... I'm scared for her. I'm scared that she understand know how her life is going to change and how she will never be thinking for just one person anymore. In some way....I have always planned out the consquences of everything for her and I see how it will be any different this time. I worry that she will be unhappy once the excitement has settled and it will not be as great as it could be. I have always been the "what if" person for her ...while marking out her escape route. However, this time there isn't one. I have spent most of my life defending her, carry her grudges and trying to fix her problems. That is a lot of work sometimes, and now I just worry that she doesn't see how much work that has been over the years. I worry that she isn't eating enough or sometimes too much. I worry that she isn't eating the right things and how will that may hurt the baby. All in all, it's hard sitting back and trying not to take over and control the situation. It's just that I have spent so many years of my life learning Biology...from development to how and why nutrients are so important...sitting back and letting things unfold is near impossible. Hello...these are my genes too that are being passed on. For you science geeks out there you will understand this. It is the kin selection hypothesis. I help take care of her and the offspring and my fitness is increased by genes we share being passed on. For those of you out there that know your animal behavior...look up the belding ground squirrels. Females are the only ones that call when there is a predator around. They stand up, orient themselves toward the attacker and call. This brings attention to themselves (cost) and alerts kin (family) in the nearby area (benefit to individual). Therefore, relatives survive even if the individuals do not. Their genes are indirectly being passed on. This is not altruism due to the kin selection. It is also shown that males in the population do not call. This is because males leave their natal area after hitting maturity; therefore, the area they are currently located in will mostly likely not contain kin. In addition, they found that the older the female, the more likely she is to call...more family members present due to her advanced age (daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, etc.). So, how this analogy relates to me.....without having children of my own (thank god for that) I still get my genes passed on through indirect measures. Hopefully, it is all the smart genes that are passed on, not the other typical family traits that never seem to get weeded out by natural selection. Where is Darwin to explain that one. If there was ever a gene line that should be selected against...it is this one. So with all of this......I am trying to warn her of all the predators present...we as humans have so much more to worry about that is not as obvious as the eagle flying above our heads casting a shadow to give us fair warning. We have silent killers that we never see coming... like cancer and diseases that strike at a moment when we think life is good. It is the silent but deadly predators that truly scare me. |
Labels: Science
posted by Sonya @ 12/18/2006 03:44:00 PM,
2 Comments:
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At December 18, 2006 at 4:22 PM,
Sakshi said...
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I think that sometimes you just have to let go.
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At December 18, 2006 at 5:42 PM,
Unknown said...
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@ sakshi...you are so right and I have told myself that so many times that I lose count. It's like trying to tell your heart to let go of what it values most. I can't seem to make that step.
sb.
