The Arithmetic of Life

Posted on April 4, 2014 by bryanpattersonfaithworks

IN The Arithmetic of Life and Death, George Shaffer calculated the probability that “you would be uniquely you”.

For instance, he calculated the probability of receiving the exact 23 chromosomes you got from your mother at one in 10 million.

The same is true for the 23 chromosomes from your father.

If you calculate the permutations from the two, you realise that biologically the chance that you will be who you are today is one in 100 trillion.

So, Shaffer concludes, your life is a miracle “of immeasurable proportion”. And life is a ticket to the greatest show on Earth.

It’s worthwhile pulling away from the herd and collectivist thinking to discover our own unique purpose on the planet.

When we start seeing ourselves as God sees us, we might start liking ourselves. And we might learn to appreciate the beauty in the dances of others.

It’s never too late to be who we should be.

Someone once said, at the end of our time here, God is not going to ask us why we weren’t Mother Teresa, or Einstein, but why weren’t we ourselves.

29 thoughts on “The Arithmetic of Life”

Joshua on April 4, 2014 at 11:08 said:

How did he “calculate” this:- “For instance, he calculated the probability of receiving the exact 23 chromosomes you got from your mother at one in 10 million.”

But, at the risk of appearing to be a ‘winder-upper’, I must say that, in any case, he’s not the brightest globe in the chandelier.
“For instance” —> The probability of “receiving the exact 23 chromosomes you got from your mother” are ‘infinity-ON’, since they ARE the 23 chromosomes you got from your mother.
Follow?

Sounds impressive though.
Almost biblical!

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churchbus71andetc on April 4, 2014 at 11:25 said:

I really liked this:) I reblogged it on churchbus71:) God Bless

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Pingback: The Arithmetic of Life | churchbus71
theartistaslisalee on April 4, 2014 at 16:55 said:

You don’t need some mathematical hocus locus to find out what we already know- that God created each and every one of us uniquely our own selves. But good to know…

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Strewth on April 4, 2014 at 20:29 said:

Who you are depends on more than chromosomes inherited. Environment plays a big part before birth an in the next couple of years. If the mother is on drugs or drink, or if she has a threatened miscarriage, the brain of the foetus develops wrongly. So also if the child is mistreated after birth,

Even in normal pregnancy, genes are switching on and off all the time.

The surprising thing is that some years of love and trust can turn a problem child into a lovely young adult. There’s that word Love again!

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- dabbbles on April 5, 2014 at 08:13 said:
  
  But you’re right Strewth: “genes are switching on and off all the time.”
  I used to drive my mother to distraction…until she made me come out and play with the dog instead. 🙂
  
  And certainly environment matters.
  Including such toxic environmental pollutants as censors, tax collectors and other acts of god. 😦
  
  And it’s also got a lot to do with how we see ourselves and how honest we are about that, too. —-> http://www.staged.com/video/?v=yZcd
  
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  - dabbbles on April 5, 2014 at 08:28 said:
    
    …and one just for Jimbo:- http://www.staged.com/video/?v=u2gb
    
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  - dabbbles on April 5, 2014 at 08:34 said:
    
    ….and for all you exegetically-inclined christians:
    ‘ Principles of Theological Argument for Dummies’ :-
    http://www.staged.com/video/?v=xGCc
    
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- Rian on April 7, 2014 at 10:13 said:
  
  Hi Dabbles, old chum, – and Bryan too,
  We are well into 2014 now, so how about making some definite arrangements for a meet up in Melbourne in the near future? Last week in April perhaps? There’s 28th, 29th and 30th for example, followed by two days start of May.
  
  Cheers, Rian.
  
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  - dabbles on April 8, 2014 at 15:14 said:
    
    Say when!
    Incidentally, did you receive a long letter?
    I have reason to wonder.
    
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  - Rian on April 8, 2014 at 17:38 said:
    
    Dabbles, Old mate,
    a. no, I havent seen a long letter, I’m afraid.
    b. how about Tuesday 29th April.
    And Bryan, are you still willing to be in it??”?? Or has it really been a bit too much for you having two problematical guys in the List, like me ‘n Dabs? Strewth has expressed interest still.
    I would prefer it not to be early in the day. I dont really like getting up early in the morning in these my twilight days.
    
    cheers, Rian.
    
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  - Strewth on April 9, 2014 at 09:12 said:
    
    29th fine for me, but the following days I’ll be house sitting.
    
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  - Rian on April 11, 2014 at 17:07 said:
    
    Okay Kathleen, all the rest of us have put in a reservation for Tuesday 29th get together in Melbourne. What about you too?
    
    Oh, and you too Bryan?????? We are waiting.
    Rian.
    
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Kathleen on April 5, 2014 at 06:40 said:

Science of the body is how this atheist Doctor became a Christian.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/03/chinese-surgeons-real-life-switch-from-atheism-to-christianity-inspired-a-central-character-in-gods-not-dead/

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Kathleen on April 6, 2014 at 02:15 said:

Good to see you back Dabbles (Dabbbles).

Was it your computer breaking down? I remember you saying you were having some troubles with it.

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- Kathleen on April 6, 2014 at 07:55 said:
  
  For Dabbles, (invention of the week)
  
  These individuals have used their God given unique brains to deal with the problem of plastic water bottles. They have invented an edible blob! It’s still early stages yet but very clever.
  
  http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/04/03/thirsty-take-bite-out-water-blob?cmpid=tp-ptnr-thinkprogress
  
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  - dabbbles on April 6, 2014 at 10:04 said:
    
    ps. I’m only dabbbles on gmail
    
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  - dabbbles on April 6, 2014 at 10:12 said:
    
    Human ingenuity is endless, isn’t it?
    Is this a whole new approach or just a development from edible knickers?
    🙂
    
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- dabbbles on April 6, 2014 at 10:03 said:
  
  onya Toots!
  Bit of everything ~ nothing was working effectively and being stubbornly difficult. Particularly the censor. 😉
  ….and time’s running out.
  Good thing I’m a Mick !…….
  
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saraharnetty on April 6, 2014 at 16:49 said:

Just a thought. If we genuinely believed how unique we are and how every human being was created by God, like we actually got it, would we treat others better than what we do?

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- dabbles on April 8, 2014 at 15:18 said:
  
  I rather think that was the whole point of the exercise, Sara.
  It’s harder to mistreat someone who’s so very like you.
  …..Unfortunately, though, we’d still be ‘speciest’: no matter how godly we were we’d still think it was ok to kick the cat.
  
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Bubba Ray on April 6, 2014 at 18:53 said:

“God is not going to ask us why we weren’t Mother Teresa, or Einstein, but why weren’t we ourselves.”

Why would he need to ask ??

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- Strewth on April 7, 2014 at 08:52 said:
  
  Why do you assume asking indicates a need to know? It could be a method of drawing attention to something, or interest in the way the answer is given.
  
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  - dabbles on April 8, 2014 at 15:21 said:
    
    hm…. Perhaps were should be ready to ask HIM why he wasn’t Mother Teresa or Einstein.
    Would certainly get his attention, and engender no end of interest in the way the answer is given! 😉
    
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  - Strewth on April 8, 2014 at 21:11 said:
    
    Asking Bubba or God? 😆
    Rather, the question proposed, why isn’t Bubba himself, or why isn’t God himself?
    
    You’re confusing me, Dabs!
    
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  - dabbles on April 9, 2014 at 06:44 said:
    
    Good one!
    God, of course! ~ I know why Bubba isn’t!
    As for the confusion……that’s a girly-thing; I get confused every time I try to “express my feminine side”.
    Perhaps ask Bubba why god made confusion contagious? (since the whole world seems to have caught a dose 🙂 )
    
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Strewth on April 9, 2014 at 09:18 said:

”It’s never too late to be who we should be.” But sometimes too early. We might be teenagers when we decide who we want to be, but need a mid life crisis to determine who we CAN be.

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Rol on April 10, 2014 at 18:02 said:

“If you calculate the permutations from the two, you realise that biologically the chance that you will be who you are today is one in 100 trillion.”

Exactly. You are worth no more than any of the other one hundred trillion possibilities that were equally likely to happen. It was a lottery. And everyone else on the planet was in exactly the same boat. That doesn’t make you special in any way.

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- Rian on April 10, 2014 at 18:49 said:
  
  Rol,
  Exactly what I was thinking about the topic. I’m reminded of the line in one of the Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas (The Gondoliers) which ran
  
  ‘When everybody’s somebody, then no-one’s anybody.’
  
  I guess like you, I simply cannot comprehend why some Christians think that the odds quoted there, mean something extraordinary.
  Rian.
  
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