A Biological Approach to Our Heritage Presented by Dr. Dunston

Throughout the duration of Dr. Dunston's presentation, she focused on the human genome and how our African genes make us predisposed to knowledge and wisdom. She characterizes DNA as not simply our genetic makeup, but the "quintessential gift of life" that pieces together our physical being. Our genome provides a set of instructions that are recieved from DNA, and explains why each of us are the way we are. Our genome influences our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes all differently. However in spite of this fact, Dr. Dunston insists that we all posess knowledge, which typifys our wisdom that is attributed to quality and value, the speed communicated, and quantity. This means that our wisdom is based on merit and significance to our lives and education and that it relies on readily speed to be learned and is subject to quite a large amount of information. Nevertheless, our genetic makeup prepares us for this, as one must have wisdom to be able to function in life. After discussing our genetics, Dr. Dunston had us repeatedly say the phrase, "I am on time, I am on point, I am on purpose." This infused in us the notion that to be knowledgable, one has to display wisdom, and to display such a quality one must be on time, on point, and have a purpose. By this, I felt Dr. Dunston was encouraging all students to strive to be at their best at all times and was implying that we all have it in us to achieve great things, evident by our genetic makeup. I found her presentation to be particularly intresting, being that I am a psychology major with plans to attend medical school. I am fascinated by the mind and discovering how genetics and other biological and environmental factors affect our minds and bodies. Thus, this lecture for me was very intriguing.