Some Things Should Remain

North Carolina became the latest state to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage. The idea of same-sex unions is a polarizing one; some are strongly opposed, while others strongly agree that these unions should be allowed. Marriage has traditionally been defined as a union between a man and a woman, and some traditions should remain. There are many people in committed relationships that are not married; they have no legally binding agreement between them.

The truth is that the statement “you can be anything you want to be”, should be post-faced to include “with certain limitations.” Often times these are not choices that can be made by a person, rather they are genetic impositions on life. Two male babies born at the same time in the same hospital theoretically have the same opportunity, but that is not always true. As each child grows, their bodies change in response to genetic code that they have no ability to alter, and as adults they become two very different people.

One child grows up to be 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 260 pounds. He may have been able to alter his weight, but his height was encoded in his genes. He has an aptitude for sports and chooses to join his high school football team. He excels there and gets a college scholarship for his efforts. He continues to hone his skills, and is eventually drafted by a professional football team, where he continues to be a significant force on the defensive line.

The other child stops growing shortly after attaining the 5 foot mark, and his weight stays around 120 pounds. Instead of joining his high-school football team, he is often the brunt of jokes and heckling. It would not be a wise choice to be on the football team anyway; there’s not really a position he could play, and the 260 pound linebacker would have an easy time knocking him over. So he continues on and graduates, goes on to college and joins the equestrian team. Yes, this world has a place for everyone, while he didn’t make it as a football player, he makes an excellent jockey.

Can the 260 pound football player ride a horse? Of course he can, but he would make a terrible jockey in a horse race: he would probably lose as you can’t adjust the power-to-weight ratio of a horse. Can the 120 pound jockey play football? Sure, but he would be equally ineffective, even as a kicker his trajectory would be lower, making his kicks easier to block.

The point is that some things are not of our choosing, they are genetically predisposed, physically or legally barred. A man can’t carry a baby, and a woman cannot impregnate a man. You can’t be passenger 141 on a plane with 140 seats. You can’t drive 55 in a 30 mph zone unless you want a ticket. The reality is, there are simply some things, one cannot do.