Olympic Reading for your Week

Olympics, genetic engineering and the future

So the Olympics is here again! My girlfriend is enamored with the divers and swimmers, and after seeing their physiques, I can see why! The scandals have also started, with accusations of drug usage and heightened emotions as countries vie for the gold medal.

I admire the high points of the Olympics, as you can see the great success of an athlete who has worked hard their entire life, and finally makes it to the top spot. It’s also heartbreaking to see when another athlete has worked just as hard, but is just a few tenths short. Their effort is in no way diminished, but there can only be three.

Success at the Olympics comes down in part to hard work, effort, and determination, and if we’re honest, we also need to admit that it also comes down in part to the genetic lottery of life. If you look at the different body types of the top athletes in different sports, it’s clear that genetics also plays a large role in whether someone will be successful or not. The drug testers are getting better at ferreting out performance-enhancing drugs, but I wonder what happens when genetic engineering becomes more commonplace and parents (indeed, maybe even governments) start breeding children specifically for the Olympics, with increased stamina, strength, and perseverance. Would the officials be able to tell the difference? After all, if you go with modest enhancements, how is it any different than what would have come about through random chance and interaction between sperm and egg? Is it better to have a choice, rather than to leave it all to chance?

What are your thoughts? As a species, we move ever forwards to greater mastery of our domain and further progress in our war against misery and disease, and we have made great advancements through programs such as vaccination, improved sanitation, anti-biotics and so on. While some of these advancements come with their own pitfalls, it’s hard to say that they have been bad on net. What will people be saying in 50 years from now, when designer babies and extensive genetic engineering will probably be commonplace? It will modify our world further, but maybe this is just one more step on a long journey that started many thousands of years ago, when we started to plant seeds and selected them for desirable properties, such as yield and taste. The future just puts more science and ability into the equation.

The Olympics might not be as fun to watch, though, when everyone can become a superstar athlete!

Here’s some Olympic reading to get you through the week ahead:

Career

• Is There A Right Way To Share Your Income?
• Five terrible jobs to avoid
• Things I Wish I Could Say to My Clients

Government

• The Plight of Small Business in America

Miscellaneous

• Enough with the Pieces of Paper, Already!
• Overcoming Envy – Why Do We Hate Other People’s Success?
• The Payment Protection Insurance Scandal in The UK
• When Did You Realize Your Childhood Dreams Wouldn’t Come True?

Personal Finance

• Buy New Appliances and Save Money!
• Early Retirement Draw Down Strategy
• Good financial management is all about good change management
• How a simple “NO” can simplify your personal finances
• Small Choices Means Big Gains When Achieving Financial Security
• The Beginner’s Guide to Saving and Investing for Canadians
• When Do You Sell When You Make Money?

Carnivals

• Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
• Carnival of Fin. Camaraderie at Modest Money
• Carnival of Fin. Camaraderie at The University of Money
• Carnival of Financial Planning at The Amateur Financier
• Carnival of Financial Planning at The Skilled Investor
• Carnival of MoneyPros at My Family Finances
• Carnival of Retirement at Master the Art of Saving
• Carnival of Retirement at My Personal Finance Journey
• Festival of Frugality at One Smart Dollar
• Totally Money Carnival at Nerd Wallet
• Totally Money Carnival at Money Challenge
• Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
• Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
• Yakezie Carnival at Passive Income to Retire
• Yakezie Carnival at The Ultimate Juggle
• Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
• Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty

Have a great week ahead. 🙂