I read today’s Daily Prompt when it posted, at 5am. I’ve been thinking on it all day.
It asks ‘If you could clone yourself, how would you split up your responsibilities?”
I wouldn’t.
I mean, I’d certainly clone myself — faster than green grass through a goose. I have no problem with the idea, really, despite the issues:
There’s some confusion as to whether or not it’s the right choice religiously– does your soul split, is a new one created, do you lose your soul in the face of such meddling? There’s also some legal issues. How does my clone distinguish herself from myself? Are we both married to Dave? There’s also some technical difficulties. Is this clone born as a child and raised to now in movie-montage speed? Is this clone an exact duplicate like Multiplicity? Is this clone a robot that looks like me, or someone who actually thinks like me? There’s also a margin of error in any new sciency thing– I mean, how likely is it that my clone won’t have hair?
I’m thinking pretty likely.
This is how I imagine I’d look bald. Except, you know. More brown.
Despite all that, I have faith in science, and hope for peaceful positive progress.
So yes, I’d clone myself, but no I wouldn’t “split up my responsibilities”.
My responsibilities add a lot to who I am. They are dependent on each other in order to make the me that I am. If I were to split my responsibilities, neither Rara would be very Rara after a month or so.
This is something I’ve believed in since I was a child. When I lived in Texas, I believe the expression was that I’d “go around my thumb to get to my elbow”. When I became a bona fide Yankee, it was called “Doing easy things the hard way”.
I’ve just never been excited by the idea of retiring on an island somewhere or hiring a staff to take care of the little things.
I have to do the things I have to do because they help me do the things I want to do.
No one wants to be friends with, or read a blog or a book written by, someone who never does anything because they have nannies, clone servants, a money tree, bacon that cooks by looking at it, and cats who take voluntary baths.
It’d be interesting for a page or minute, but then what would the story be about?
My life is entirely made up of the little moments and I have plenty of time for everything I want to do each day. I suppose clone Rara could go live another life, take another path, but I know for certain I wouldn’t want her to just take a piece of mine.
This is my life and I’ve earned it.
I’ve earned the right:
- to scrub my bathroom floor because my toilet overflowed.
- to argue with my husband about whether art is more important than food.
- to bruise and cut my hand in the trashcan outside my work.
- to spend hours sewing up a beanie baby, with one good hand, just so my cats would have their rage toy.
I could farm out those jobs, but then how would I remember how grateful I am:
- to have a place to live, and my own private bathroom.
- to have an articulate, strong, talented husband who needs my rational mind.
- to have a wonderful job at a small business.
- to have the unconditional love of two furry, intelligent cat beasts.
The good things have more dimension when you are allowed to experience the entire picture. It may be more difficult, and may take more time– but if I had more time to enjoy my home because the clone always did the cleaning– would I really appreciate it the same? Would I feel all the pride and joy that I have for every aspect of my life?
Probably not.
So sorry, Clone– you’ll have to get your own cats to pamper needlessly.
Daily Post: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/daily-prompt-clones/
