What Gattaca What It Means To Be Human

The definition of humanity, by the dictionary, is human nature or the condition of being human. How is one to understand what “being human” is if there is nothing said on how to do so? Does the condition of being human mean to be civilized? Educated? Being able to communicate? Does it mean to be powerful? Most people would say that these are definitely qualities a human being must possess, but they seem to forget about the meaningful qualities one should possess. There are qualities that people are naturally born with and there are others that people must develop. Over this course there were two readings in particular that emphasized that we, as people, are born with certain qualities but these qualities are not to be our sole definition;
we can change as we please. Lise Eliot’s The Truth about Boys and Girls spoke of the biological differences between boys and girls, and how there are certain qualities that one is naturally better at than others; but this article also stated that if we, as a society, wish to be less divided there is a way of teaching that can diminish the differences between genders.
In the film Gattaca, the well-off people were superior to others due to genetic enhancement and the main character of the film was subpar to most since he was a “Godchild” which means he had no genetic motification. Throughout this film, he made it clear that he would achieve his dreams, despite his genetic weaknesses. Altogether, being human is about pursuing our dreams and to not let our genders or what others may consider our weaknesses get in the way of accomplishing our goals and to develop meaningful characteristics of benevolence and will. Eliot reinforces this by her examinations on how to reduce the inherent differences between men and women; Gattaca establishes that we are not true people if we do not have struggles, will, goals, and the ability to get past our
flaws.
Lise Eliot is an associate professor of neuroscience; she has studied the biological differences between boys and girls and what effects are caused by these differences. According to her article, society has it programmed that boys and girls are supposed to act a certain way and these thoughts are reinforced by their biological differences. Such differences are: boys are more energetic as a result of the excessive amount of testosterone in the womb; girls are more empathetic because the left amygdala is more strongly activated than the right (Eliot). Considering the natural differences it is normal for society to treat boys and girls differently, but these differences can cease if there are certain lessons that are consistently reinforced as the children grow up. Boys and girls are more than capable of accomplishing the same goals as long as they have the right guidance and the will to get past the expectation that society has of them.
In order for one to accomplish their goals, they must get past society’s expectations of them, especially if they are negative; in the film Gattaca, Vincent was not supposed to be able to achieve anything in life since he was inferior to most people around him. He was aware of his weaknesses from a very young age; when he began school he was not allowed to play outside with the other kids because the school did not want to be liable for the accident that he was prone to have. Throughout the film, Vincent expresses how desperately he wished to go out in space, but due to his “invalid-ness” he was not allowed. Nevertheless, he continued his studies, his exercises, and eventually came across someone with the “right genes” and gave up his identity to become that person. The man whose identity Vincent took was one, who succeeded in everything he did, but this was not enough for him, in fact, it drove him to attempt suicide. Perhaps being perfect is not the best way to actually live. Near the end of the film, before Vincent flies off to space he thanks this man, Jerome, but Jerome insisted that Vincent should be thanked since Jerome was able to live truly through Vincent’s dream.
Comparatively, both of these pieces emphasized people’s weaknesses, but it also emphasizes that weaknesses can be looked over, even decreased.
Gattaca proves that people are more than their flaws as long as they work hard towards their dreams. Eliot’s article verifies that all people are innately flawed, but with proper guidance, it is possible to overcome what was once inherent. Personally, these pieces absolutely confirm my beliefs about what it means to be human. We are flawed creatures, but that does not mean that is all we are. We as a society have a duty to one another which is why I agree with Eliot; she has discovered what is “wrong” with boys and girls, but she provides insight on how to minimize these flaws so the two could be equal. Vincent struggled greatly in his life, but he continued to work hard until he achieved his goal to be in space. In order to be human, one must struggle because if they do not, they will never know how much they could genuinely accomplish; through love of their dream, hard work, the will to persevere, and to not only accept their flaws, but to accept that they are more than their weaknesses is what being human is about. Not only are these personal factors attributes of being human, but being benevolent and helping others, as Eliot does throughout her article, is what being human is about. As a human being, we have duties to ourselves and to
others.
To be frank, life was not meant to be a walk in the park. Life cannot always be rainbows and butterflies because if it was, then why would we become so happy when we witness rainbows? There has to be rain for one to appreciate the beauty of the rainbow. Without struggles, people cannot appreciate the good in life. Without flaws, people cannot recognize how far they have come. Without helping others become better, society will be at a stand-still.