Natural Selections

There has been a lot of talk lately about the theory of evolution and Charles Darwin's theories of natural selection. It seems that we are being made to choose between believing that it is human/animal nature to dominate vs. human/animal nature being more cooperative and niche-filling. I just want to drop my two cents on it.

First: Natural Selection states three things. 1. Organisms (bacteria, plant, animal, etc) must compete for resources in any given environment. 2. Only the most fit will receive enough of those resources to have their genes survive in their particular population. The less fit are eventually eliminated from the population through genetic drift (the tendency for the survivors to survive and procreate, dominating that population's gene pool) 3. Mutations in the genetic code aid natural selection in the elimination or the augmented fitness of an individual.

I don't believe that one organism benefits only at the loss of another. I hypothesize that the better we work together (WITHIN OUR MEANS), the more likely we are to survive.

Take, for example, the fish that swim under the shark's belly and feed off of the flesh that falls by the wayside. These fish are clearly not the most adept at attaining their own food by killing it. So, how did they come to fit this niche and not become shark food? Well, at some point the type of sharks they follow had to decide that they do more good than harm. Now, I do not know the ultimate premise behind their current role. However, it is these types of relationships that suggest that our nature is more cooperative than previously thought. I mean, why should one individual win, while others lose? Over time that organism would become very lonely if that were the case. Besides, team sports are more fun than individual ones anyway... just ask Tiger Woods. (yeah, I said it!)

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Until the next one...

Peace.

Imperial Hangover

It's Christmas time... that wonderful time of year when we go home or have people into our own, to share in each others presence -- and give lots of presents -- to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It has always been a time I enjoyed and from which I received much fulfillment. Now that I am an adult and have discovered the topics that I discuss in previous posts, I have come into some feelings of regret, or maybe it's remorse.

You see, I see now that the presents we give are just things. They really don't bring much fulfillment, if any. It was always the people that were around me that gave me the most joy. I am finding that out in earnest these days. I took a leave of absence from the social scene for a while to focus on music, but now that that is progressing at a satisfactory pace I have made an effort to get out and be more social. I am finding that I am much more happy, generally, because of those efforts. I really do love people, and that is why I write these posts so that my words may help us save ourselves from the perils of an Imperial society.

I know I speak in a pretty utopian manner about how people should live. But the truth is, even if the efforts to move toward a REAL democratic society catch fire, I will never see the fruition of what I start now. And that is fine.

Now, we have to realize that there will not be a smooth, quick transition to the Earth Community that David Korten speaks of. There will be many people who either drag their feet because they fear change, or merely have not been exposed to the truth about many things because the almighty television has been dictating their culture for so long. I call this the "Imperial hangover".

I describe this as the leftover feelings of loss or tendencies to fall back on the immature mindset and consumer-based activity that is a hallmark of every imperial society. Just today, I was reading about how Pericles (a great Athenian emperor) would make people work to justify their share of the governments conquests. They had no interest in the governments usurping of natural resources, but since they benefited from it, they were caught in the trap. After a while (and this happened many times in the beginning of our own country), there were worker and slave revolts, so Pericles set up and funded a theater of actors, poets, etc. as well as carnival-type events to entertain the masses of workers. Sound familiar?

I admit, that I still have imperial tendencies, I suffer from this "imperial hangover": like wanting a new car (which I will probably get) when I should just ride my bike everywhere... that would be a good contribution to the bettering of the environment. I also enjoy watching sports and movies on TV from time to time, but that gets less and less the more I get in the studio. I was thinking that I should buy lots of presents for my family and friends for Christmas, but I was able to take a stand there and get one gift each for my parents and my sister. I also talked to them about volunteering at a soup kitchen or other operation that would aid the people who really could use some charity. I guess I'm slowly sobering up :)

The moral here, is that we have to start the process now, by joining with people of like mind around the world and eventually reject the rule of people who have been corrupted by the power they were given to protect ordinary citizens. Who could blame them, they're only human. Although, we elevate them to positions they don't deserve (like gods) and when they fail or falter, we drag them through the mud as if we could have done any better (who are WE to judge THEM), but I digress. Even though we are drunk on imperialism now, doesn't mean we can't start the next day, slowly but surely until we recover completely.