Sunday, May 31, 2009

On being human and strange sources of pride

My mother-in -law told me shortly after Elise was born that her generation consists of people that were largely formula-fed as infants, due to a perception by their parents that breastfeeding was something that "country-folk" did, and it was almost a status symbol to be able to afford formula for your baby. And, since formula was new, there weren't health history records to refer to, to confirm that breastmilk, thought perceive as countrified, was indeed the best thing for nourishing an infant.
To me, this is a prime example of how we, as "civilised humans" are trying desperately to escape our animal natures, to prove that our minds and technology are capable of generating mechanisms superior to our biology. I don't think its possible. For example: I think the concept of vaccines is pretty smart, although I admit being afraid of the implications of some of them. As humans, we conceived the idea of placing a dead virus in our systems, but the protection from the virus comes from our own natural defenses at that point. Our bodies are brilliantly designed.
That being said: I read an article recently about how, as humans, we are trying so hard to use technology to evaluate and analyze, and in doing so, are doing ourselves a disservice because our intuition is often at work behind the scenes, evaluating and analyzing for us, unconsciously!
We eat too much. Drink too much. We rely on things other than our own senses to tell us how to live. I find this a bit silly.
I look at my daughter, lying in the bed I made for her, sleeping and growing and developing more each day, and I'm filled with pride that I was able to create, with my humble body, this perfect little fully-functioning human person--and I'm able to give her what she needs, both with my body as milk, but also a roof over her head, a warm bed, toys to play and learn with. An engaged, attentive, and loving set of parents is probably the most important thing I am able to "give" her, however, and I thank my lucky stars and heavenly guardians every day that I am able to do this with a true partner. Elise will grow up with an ideal support system. I am proud of that fact as well.

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