As I am reading through The Selfish Gene I am finding many things that are quite interesting. I had never before thought of a gene controlling in such a big way human beings. Before I had the idea that genes determined what we are and what we looked like and that was their function. I knew we got half from our father and the other half from our mother, but I did not know many of the things genes really do. What I have learned is that genes are like parasites inside us that help us survive but for their own interest. Another thing I have learned is that the way it works in the gene level there is nothing done without a purpose. If a gene wants to make you have larger arms it will do this not because it will help you reach more things, but because you might be able to punch from farther distance and increase your chances of surviving. According to Dawkins: "The main way in which brains actually contribute to the success of survival machines is by controlling and coordinating the contractions of muscles" (pg.49). What this means is that our brain is the one that controls our body and our brain is controlled by genes. Before reading this book I would have never thought that there were small genes through our body controlling my life. Now I imagine that as I am writing this blog there are genes that is controlling my thoughts and actions. Genes do not control you completely but they do affect you a lot. According to Dawkins: "Is under control of genes in only an indirect, but still very powerful, sense" (pg.60). We do not depend on every movement we make on a gene, but we do depend on the brain. The comparison that Dawkins makes to the computer being pre designed makes it very clear. The genes have done the brain according to their wants so in some way they are still controlling us.
There has always been the thought that things come to an end. In the gene pool it was not the exception. If things are constantly used without giving them time to regenerate then it is probable for them to extinguish. In The Selfish Gene there is a quotation that expresses that: "Organic food in the soup, which had been slowly built up under the energetic influence of centuries of sunlight, was all used up" (pg.46). This is a very easy way of life. It is like just going to the refrigerator and getting the food you want and the food magically regenerating. In real life this does not happen and food in the refrigerator will eventually run out. When that happens then you have to go out and work to be able to have more food in the fridge. Genes had to do something similar when the food in the gene pool was ending. The genes decided to create survival machines. If we could go to gene world then we can see that genes get their pay in a very different way as we get our pay. Genes get their pay when they accomplish their main mission that is to make their survival machine survive as long as it has to until it reproduces. After the machine reproduces then it means that this gene was already replicated and that it accomplished its goal. Another comparison to our life with this gene example is our natural resources. We are running out of our natural resources because we are using them too much and without giving them enough time for them to regenerate. In this moment we have natural resources that can be seen as an easy life, but I have started to think what would happen if we did not have them. Just imagine having no more water. How are we going to create new water at a sufficient rate to satisfy the population's thirst? I do not know if genes have already contemplated this problem because they are the one that build us up so it is a future problem for human beings and genes.
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