Life as adaptation…
From the moment of birth, if not before, life is a serious of adaptations. One’s total physiology is a continuous serious of multiple and miniscule adaptations. These occur without any thought; they are frequently interdependent and automatic. They are a part of one’s total system for living.
At a conscious level, we adapt to our total environment and thus survive. For example, if we do not adjust our behaviors to what is expected of our particular society, we are doomed to rejection, suffering and possibly to an earlier than would be the case, death.
Many individuals have suffered from persecution, hatred, prejudice, discrimination, and many social ills as well as being dominated by those who were more powerful or in control of the government. Life was often lived in fear. Survival demanded adaptation.
Adaptation did not mean a total surrendering of beliefs or customs. Away from public scrutiny, behind closed doors, individuals, families and communities continued to not only exist but at times did flourish.
Minor adaptations could be called compromise. We learn to compromise within the family, with friends and very much so in school. In many respects we had to compromise our behaviors to the rules and regulations of organizations. These compromises, these adjustments to the environment taken together can be viewed as adaptation.
Adaptation means living; animals and humans learn to adapt and if they do not, they do not survive. Let us continue on the path of adaptation and survival for tomorrow may be the day when the larger community will become accepting of that which had been frowned upon, discouraged or absolutely rejected. It has taken democratic society many years to set aside slavery, to grant voting rights to women, to reduce discrimination in many of its forms yet other changes are still required and will be made.
Today, we are faced with new forms of control, for example, the laws, rules and regulations relating to our security. Security from attack from external and internal enemies to our way of living is of paramount concern. We often refer to those “enemies” as terrorists. Terrorists, they are called because they induce fear to the point of terror. It is the fear of the unknown that controls us. To this fear, we are adapting, to the control of the “security” forces we are adapting, to the external wars, we are adapting, to the suffering of peoples, we are adapting. We may not like any of these adaptations but they are necessary and we do adapt.
Life is adaptation!
At a conscious level, we adapt to our total environment and thus survive. For example, if we do not adjust our behaviors to what is expected of our particular society, we are doomed to rejection, suffering and possibly to an earlier than would be the case, death.
Many individuals have suffered from persecution, hatred, prejudice, discrimination, and many social ills as well as being dominated by those who were more powerful or in control of the government. Life was often lived in fear. Survival demanded adaptation.
Adaptation did not mean a total surrendering of beliefs or customs. Away from public scrutiny, behind closed doors, individuals, families and communities continued to not only exist but at times did flourish.
Minor adaptations could be called compromise. We learn to compromise within the family, with friends and very much so in school. In many respects we had to compromise our behaviors to the rules and regulations of organizations. These compromises, these adjustments to the environment taken together can be viewed as adaptation.
Adaptation means living; animals and humans learn to adapt and if they do not, they do not survive. Let us continue on the path of adaptation and survival for tomorrow may be the day when the larger community will become accepting of that which had been frowned upon, discouraged or absolutely rejected. It has taken democratic society many years to set aside slavery, to grant voting rights to women, to reduce discrimination in many of its forms yet other changes are still required and will be made.
Today, we are faced with new forms of control, for example, the laws, rules and regulations relating to our security. Security from attack from external and internal enemies to our way of living is of paramount concern. We often refer to those “enemies” as terrorists. Terrorists, they are called because they induce fear to the point of terror. It is the fear of the unknown that controls us. To this fear, we are adapting, to the control of the “security” forces we are adapting, to the external wars, we are adapting, to the suffering of peoples, we are adapting. We may not like any of these adaptations but they are necessary and we do adapt.
Life is adaptation!
posted by croweagle at
10:59 PM
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