Chapter 5: Genes, Culture, and Gender There are about 6,775,235,842 people in the world.

Why are you letting one of them ruin your life? -AnonymousThe earth is the planet where we humans have chosen to live in. It has supplied us with every necessity we have in life, from the very air we breathe in up to the very materials we use in building our houses. Ages before, the world was just a big continent, but as geologic activities took place this continent started to broke apart and some of its parts drifted from each other creating major divisions of land situated in the world at present. People from each of these continents have their own language, specific special capability, beliefs and ways of living which at present has not only become their identity but has become the symbol of diversity among every people around the globe. Humans are patterned in a similar blueprint. We have the same major parts of the body. All people have two eyes, one nose and mouth and a pair of ears, not counting of course those with genetic defects. In other words, we have the same biological make up. We came from one ancestor. We are equipped with the same capabilities and capacity as a human being. What makes the difference? Its the genes, our culture and the sexual preference or our gender which differ us from the others. Everyones unique, they say, but my question is that, if we are all entitled to this kind of belief then what can we consider the normal? The answer to this will be anchored on our cultural aspects. By cultural aspects, I mean the beliefs one has, the way he lives his life, and the way he views the people surrounding him. Culture is defined as the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next (Myers, 2010). The society plays a big role in setting what is deemed to be normal in a specific area and situation. The society is the one which imposes these social norms. These norms or set of social laws that should be followed for you to be considered as normal in your society. But different societies have different norms, therefor creating different forms of what is considered to be normal. Even if all of us came from one prehistoric ancestor, there is still an evidence of difference between each group of people around the world. And one reason for these differences is that each group of people around the world carry with them a special gene which is not found in the other group. Some have the gene which has something to do with more physical activities and some have the special gene which enables them to see clearer on the dark place. Here is where evolutionary aspects will emerge. Because people from different culture or parts of the world needed to survive they have adapted the most

possible way to continue living. Everyone wanted to live a little bit longer than others. that is the reason why they looked for ways to fulfil their wishes. Their bodies started to adapt to the changes and eventually passing these special genes to the younger generation, which eventually became a symbol of being different from the others. The biology of our body is one great factor of how we interact and react to the different situations we encounter in our lives. They say that men are stronger. Those women are more passionate and hardworking. Some argues that men are more intellectual while women are more intuitive. Believe it or not, there is a great difference of hoe male and female handle the situations in their lives. The difference between the sexual preference affects how we say hi to person we just meet across the road. Our gender has an effect of whether or not we cooperate or choose to just free-ride on a group activity. We see, this world is full of diversities. We mingle with different kinds of people every day. From the very grandfather that each one of us has up until the people who we feel in love with difference is very much observable. All of us are unique! We should never forget that. If I prefer to get affected with the difference this world is offering me, I might end up losing self -confidence following what my society is telling me to do. I believe that instead of looking into the differences between each one of us why not count your blessings. By counting your blessings you become more aware of them. As I look daily at my life and see how blessed I am, definitely I will begin to see the goodness in others, how I reach out and touch lives in a positive way. The goodness between being different with the others! The benefit of being unique! The film entitled

her

shows how much the modern technology has affected the lives of

people at that specific time and place. The advancements of these technological gadgets hampered the verbal communication between actual people. The scenario that this film had shown us is very much rampant in this present time. The only difference is that in the reality we are not even using those OS which reads our thoughts and memories. Now how is this similar to what is the reality? Here it goes. Whats on your mind?.This usually is the question that most of the us answer almost in every single minute of our lives. Updating statuses has now become a habit of majority of the people all over the world. The media has invaded the real meaning of our social lives. The media has gone way far from the boundaries which was set forth for it. It is now given a more consideration than talking to a friend personally. People nowadays interact in very much different way contrary when I myself

experience the term they called socialization.

Habang bata pa, sa damuhan maghabulan. Magtampisaw sa ulan, everytime I here this song, I always go back to the times when all I do was play under the rain. This song always lets me remember the happy moments I had with my friends during my growing-up years. It still gives me the feelings of happiness and enjoyment when all I do was sing, dance and love the drops of the rain on our skin. When being literally dirty means having exhausted yourself while playing under the sun. I got stinky, I got dirtybut see I learned!, this phrase would best describe the kind of childhood I have. The kind of interaction I had with the people I encounter in the environment where I grew up. Before, I enjoyed being toasted under the pricking heat of the sun. I still can remember when I first learned how to ride a bike. When we were younger, my older brother was in charge in teaching me a lot of things which he already knew. Its still vivid in my memory how my brother tried to held the bike with all his strength just to help me balanced it. The number of bruises we both have after one session of biking on the plaza was never an issue. The bruises on my knees and shoulders signify learning. It symbolizes the love and effort that my brother has given me just for me to learn. Those countless trials of trying to balance and drive the bike alone signifies the bond that was strengthen, the bond of brotherhood and love. Of the countless mistaken conviction I had about the role of media on our lives, one stand out beyond the rest. It mainly concerns freedom which I believed about in the same way I thought about chocolate: I couldnt picture how in both cases more was not p ermanently healthier. It would have been unmanageable to persuade myself ten years ago that the small course of my current days would feel as satisfying as it does. This I think is the kind of understanding that is hardest to connect across general lines, that in the future you wont desire the same things you desire right now. We always have the freedom to choose, whether or not we will let what we experience with media affects us. It is always a choice between what we think is right and what we deemed to be right. In choosing between whether or not to get affected with media, we are taking in stake the idea of becoming one of the society. In making what you experience in media the basis of your lifestyle depends greatly on how you perceive yourself in greater aspect. We should never imprison ourselves in the four corners of their rooms facing their computers the whole day. Teenagers should always enjoy life. They should see the beauty of the sunlight and experience how it is to personally see a smile from a persons face. Teenager should live their lives to the fullest. They should always enjoy the blessing of having someone to be with or someone to walk with in the park. They should always see the beauty and giftedness of the people surrounding them. They must grow to see the joy in the moment in front of them- the joy of sunny day, or the beauty of rainy seasons, or the

attractive colours of a sunset, or the smile on the face of a young child or the twinkle in an older persons eye. Let us all remember that it is all up to us, whether or not we will let the what we see and what we experienced inside the cyberspace ruin everything that we are in the real world. Patrick Vense T. Bajamunde 2011-63438