The GMK Question: What Will We Tell Our Children?
“The future of humanity is not written in our genes alone — it is shaped by the values we choose, the dignity we protect, and the societies we build together.”
BYOS.ONE
One afternoon your child comes home, a little quieter than usual. “Mama… Papa… why is my friend from next door faster, smarter, fitter, never sick, allowed to go to that super-cool school… and will one day be an astronaut? Why didn’t you do that for me?”
You take a deep breath and explain: “Because your friend is a GMK — a Genetically Modified Kid. Before they were born, their genes were carefully selected and edited to make them this way.”
The child looks down. “…Why didn’t you do that for me?”
Where this question comes from
This scene was first imagined by an unknown thinker whose words once reached us — and whom we thank here. We do not know their name, but we carry their question forward, as it deserves to be heard, debated, and answered by many.
It’s not science fiction
This is a future that could arrive sooner than we expect. Perhaps in other countries first. Perhaps already for the few.
A timeless warning from GATTACA
The 1997 film GATTACA leaves us with a question that is even more urgent today: If genetic ‘perfection’ had always been the standard, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Stephen Hawking — and even you, reading this now — might never have been born. Our so-called “flaws” have driven every leap forward in human history. Removing them could remove the very challenges that push us to grow.
Questions we must face
Where is the line between love, ambition, and hubris?
How can we use science without erasing what makes us human?
How do we design societies that remain fair, inclusive, and humane when such technology becomes reality?
The time to decide is now
At byos.one, we exist to inspire citizens and leaders to think ahead, to prepare, and to shape the societies of tomorrow — so that no child is ever left behind.
“Let’s go beyond limits. Let’s build what the world doesn’t know it needs yet.”
