“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The possibility of creative change must always be present to insure the species’ resiliency, and that resiliency can show in many ways—in conditions that you consider deformities, disabilities from birth, or in any physical variation from a hypothetical physical norm. You all look quite alike, with one head (amused), two arms and legs, and so forth, as a rule. Such differences or variations are very noticeable at a certain level, if you have more fingers than you are supposed to, or less, or two thumbs to a hand, or any other condition that is considered an abnormality.

(9:52.) There are mental conditions also: the so-called retarded people who do not use their reasoning minds as others do. There are also, again, highly gifted people, physically or mentally, people who seem to be at times as far from the ordinary person on the gifted scale as an idiot might be [on] the other. So as we progress, I hope to show where all of these situations fit in with the development of the individual and the species.

At a smaller level of activity such variances of course escape your notice. You do not know if you have any errant genes unless their effects show themselves. At microscopic levels, in fact, no one fits any norm, and there is no way to predict with complete certainty the development of any genetic element. You can make group predictions, and overall make certain judgments, but other elements are involved, so that any particular genetic element cannot be pinned down in terms of its development. This is because its activity is also involved with relationships that do not show in any of your calculations.