Good morning guys!
There are some conversations, people or even movies that force us to think about issues that normally skip our reality. Some are too busy with their day to day life, others prefer to pretend that some topics do not concern them. Fortunately people’s awareness is raising. Example? Nowadays even meat-eaters/lovers do acknowledge that vast majority of farm animals are treated in a terrible “inhuman” conditions.
This weekend I watched some interesting documentaries on Netflix. I don’t own it at my place so I decided to check it out while I was babysitting, or should I be more precise, dogsitting at my friend’s flat. She went to Malta so I promised to move to her for 3 days in order to look after beautiful Golden retriever.
I already recommended the 8 episode series - “Abstract: The Art of Design.”.
Today I would like to switch our focus from design to more controversial or “complex” issues. The series is titled “Explained” and consists of short, not even 20 minutes long, documentaries.
Why is “Explained” interesting?
I saw three first episodes so I will concentrate on them.
True, nothing I have heard and/or seen in “Explained” was new to me. But I enjoyed the way it was presented.
The episodes are short (20 minutes max), and therefore do not intend to give the ultimate, black and white set of answers. Nonetheless, they raise a problem and give a relevant background and context. To me, this is essential in order to start thinking seriously about any given topic. People way too often forget about the importance of context, as well as about the cause-result chain.
We start to be accustomed to the fast way of learning, googling out everything we need without verifying the results. We don’t use our brain to be curious, to ask questions, to understand. We want to have a quick, not too complex and profound answer.
I believe the episodes can be stimulating because, in the end, it is your job to form an opinion.
Episode 2. “Designer DNA”
I think this is the episode that stayed with me the most. I acquired a perspective that I didn’t have before, a perspective of a woman who suffers from Dwarfism, and for this alone it was definitely worth my time.
The documentary is focused on the issues of DNA modifications and how far people should be able to push the science. Those are not new questions and I guess we will remain challenged by them for some more years. Yet, the reality changes at a fast pace. Choosing your baby’s color of eyes or hair seems absurd, but there will be those in favor and happy to use an opportunity to “design” their baby.
Are we willing to allow DNA modification in order to avoid incurable diseases? I imagine most of us would answer “Yes”. But here comes a tricky issue. The woman I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph said one important thing. She is happy who she is. She does not wish to be “normal”. If we take her perspective for a brief moment we’ll see how difficult it must be to see and feel that the societies want your annihilation. That people think there is no place for you and those who are like you.
Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy your journey! 💛