February 3, 1997, the world has experienced an incredible act of science. Dolly, a Finn Dorset sheep, is the first successfully cloned mammal. Despite the pure genius showcased to the world, I find myself more unsettled than awe-struck by this technological breakthrough. I am not a religious man. I will not preach about God. However, despite my viewpoints, I strongly believe life holds certain defining qualities.

The basis of human nature, in my point of view, is that people hold naturally unique features. From childhood to adulthood, we grew up saying, “Everyone is unique in their own special way,” but cloning offers scientists the ability to rewrite that statement. Cloning without a doubt provides countless beneficial attributes, however, the ethics behind the science are controversial.

Cloning is not a gun, a bomb, nor a tool to terrorize citizens around the globe, but a weapon on the principle of diversity. It is crazy to think that with one strand of DNA, a human, the most complex and mysterious object, may turn to a replicated piece of art.

I know I sound silly, with this extreme, somewhat unrealistic anxiety about cloning, but it truly scares me. My mind wraps around this nightmare of a thought, another person that is the mirror image of myself. This clone represents a loss of individuality, distinctiveness, and character. Adam Raymond Epstein, the funny, easy-going guy no longer means anything. Humanity is soon lost in the void between natural means of life and scientific creations.