So you have the perfect family, not one afflicted child, grandchild, or great-grandchild. Good for you! How lucky can you get! Even though one percent of every population in every country has schizophrenia, which has to do with some mix-up in the brain wiring, the research I have read says gene number four is responsible. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are gene mechanics out there, who will soon be able to zero in on that gene and change it, even before your child is born. We just have to have a little patience. Actually, a lot of patience...

If you don’t believe me, bear in mind that more medical miracles have occurred in the past hundred years then in the entire history of man. How many people have been saved by a simple coronary bypass? It’s just a matter of dismantling time bombs...

What about those people who have had an unfortunate fall that disrupted their brain circuitry? They no longer recognize even their closest family members, and are quite happy when their son is feeding them a delicious revel. As one mature son told me, “This is the mother who did so much for me, and now I can do something for her!” How wonderful is that attitude?

There are people out there, who may think to themselves: “Sylvia, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I have had no friends with bipolar disease; I have had no family members emerge out of the darkness of so-called normalcy, who for some reason beyond their control, would rather wear pants than a dress, and prefer a life with the same-sex. How the heck can something like that emerge three generations down the line?? And happen to parents you thought were perfect? Even religious. Nor have I known anyone who was born with some retardation. But I have known real idiots – we all know who THEY are, right? Idiots are simply people who don’t know they are idiots. A man who beats his daughter with a belt is an idiot – how come we all know that?

We all know what paranoia is. Paranoia is when someone in your family phones to say that a roast in their fridge has disappeared mysteriously. Or they are convinced there’s a strange man in their basement, when in fact, their basement is empty. Or the police are following them, when in fact, the police don’t even know they exist. Paranoia can be as simple as, “I can’t go outside because a bee might sting me and I’ll go into anaphylactic shock!” Paranoia is actually rampant in our society, and other societies – why? Because paranoia is usually connected to some poor soul, who simply needs reassurance, for some reason beyond their control. Or maybe they just need a meal. Or maybe they just need a safe island where there’s no such thing as rape, violence, and drunken threats. Or a sudden fist in their face. Or a mother gasping for breath, trying to put out a fire to save her four children. Paranoia is like a plant – it usually has a root – it’s just a question of which way it’s growing, and where.

Then there is blinding ourselves to something we should be seeing. That is known as denial, probably the most universal problem in every country, and in every population. Why would we want to acknowledge something that is a nightmare? Just park it on the back shelf and it will go away, is what so many do, myself included. If denial was a product we could sell, we’d all be rich.

I believe genetic miracles are the thing of the future, and my only wish would be to live long enough to see them realized and the people they will help or save. We owe much to medical research!