I think Jane and Max will both face questions that Megan and I did not. This will be true in many areas, but one set of questions in particular will be presented sometime (hopefully not earlier) when they are between 22 and 32 years old. That’s about 15 to 20 years from now.
It might come first in the form of:
Do you or anyone in your family have a history of any of these conditions?
Is there anything about yourself you wish you could have changed?
What do you hope your future children will be like?
Would you like to hear about some selection options available to you?
Would you like to hear about some choices you can make?
These questions might even be sought out in a planning sense, something not really considered by Megan and I. Consults beforehand to get everything lined up. So romantic.
From here, AI selection and editing techniques will be described. Instead of the old random chance + post conception prenatal screening approach (already more than I underwent) which resulted in Jane and Max, they may forgo the random chance altogether, flipping and amplifying the ‘pre work’ in order to end up with a more known quantity for my grandchildren.
It’s a continuum like anything else of course, but I suspect it will be far more advanced than the options available (but not exercised) by Megan and I. And the societal norms and pressures may be pronounced.
Do you really want to roll the dice and risk your future children developing xyz terrible condition when this simple alternative is available to you, for free?
My friends are having a set of 6’2″ twins with 200iq each. How would an OG non-edited son be able to compete?
No one would even need to know.
Survival of the fittest takes on a different flavor when your friends are selecting and designing top-tier humans and you’re considering rolling the dice. Jane and Max… do you want grandchildren? How will your kids compete? Think carefully.
Now, on to my grandchildren.
Be kind to your parents and I, superhuman.
Your parents and I are vintage models. You need to communicate more slowly so we can understand. My BCI overheats when trying to keep up with your newer comms protocols. I don’t know how to use it that well. And sometimes it would feel nice to be asked to help lift something up despite your superhuman strength. I went to the gym 3 or 4 times a week for 50 years in an effort to stay strong and I don’t want to feel like it was a waste.
When having my great grandchildren, please ensure they retain something more than a token of my genes. If not, are they even my great grandchildren, or something new? I don’t want to have strangers over for Thanksgiving.