Tag Archives: evolution

On Fertile Ground

When I first heard the words Ground and Fertile together my mind went to flowers and produce, trees and foodstuffs. Then I got it. We are the Ground, more specifically our minds. If as children we learn that it is acceptable, even necessary, to question then we will grow up to have open minds. An open mind is a fertile one. And a fertile mind will allow ideas to germinate.

Progress happens through hard work yes but also through tenacity, perseverance and I believe a certain amount of luck. Sometimes, plain dumb luck. Let’s face it we have nearly destroyed ourselves many times. But we didn’t, fortunately. So, we continue to evolve. We need forward thinkers, people who think outside the box. We need to face our fears, not to progress in spite of them but to use them. Our fears protect us and they inspire us.

We can’t all be movers and shakers. We can’t all be instruments of change. Or can we? Anyone who reads me regularly knows that I am a big believer in the Domino Effect. For those of you who are new to me, please allow me to explain. When you smile at someone on the street for no reason other than it is a beautiful day you may cause that person you meet to smile at another and then that person smiles at another and somewhere along the line someone who is feeling terribly down decides that life is worth living. Does this really happen? I believe it could.

When I write these posts it is often because of things I have heard or seen that inspires me. It makes me want to ask questions, to understand something. Often it is other blogs I read or comment on that cause my mind to take perhaps another path. I am inspired by life. That sounds terribly simplistic but it really is that simple.

The people that enable our world to move forward or those that create are often inspired by things they may not even remember. Comments that were made when they were children can steer them towards a path they had not thought of before. Part of a casual conversation overheard on the street, or read briefly somewhere may trigger an idea. We are constantly affected by those around us, by the sights and sounds of life. Sometimes we are aware of it and sometimes we are not but we are constantly being touched. And changed.

I would be very careful of what you say in public or what you write because it may be read by someone who then mentions it at a dinner party and then someone has the idea that . . . Or perhaps the next great step forward in our evolution may simply have been stimulated by the ravings of a madman. Does it make you wonder?

Evolution?

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The planet we inhabit was formed about 4. 5 billion years ago. Since then it has been evolving, growing, changing. It has only been able to support life for about 3.5 billion years. We arrived about 200,000 years ago. A little late to the party but we have made one hell of an impact!

And we as a species evolved. We no longer grunt to communicate because of course that’s rude. We tamed our world and beat it into submission. We harnessed the power of fire and air and water. But it was a long time getting to where we are now. And where are we going? We have caused so much damage on our journey but not all of it was our fault.

As a species we are greedy and we always want more. Perhaps we are still children in the greater scheme of things and like children we always want… But we are also curious and that curiosity leads us to go farther and farther from our home. We want to learn and that is perhaps our greatest asset. But like children we need to be cautionary. We need to learn to take small steps before those giant leaps. We have taken some big leaps and failed miserably but we learned from our failure. We are resilient and if we can temper our insatiable curiosity just a tiny bit then perhaps the future is not bleak.

As individuals we are also evolving. We have come through the Cro-Magnon and the Neanderthal to Homo sapiens. It was a long journey and there are a few who seem to be reverting back to an earlier stage. We tolerate them. But we are trying. We are trying to correct our mistakes, perhaps not as quickly as we should have, but we are trying. And perhaps that is all we can expect. Or maybe that is the mistake. Maybe we need to reach for the stars and expect to reach it. Could that be the next step in our evolution? What we are willing to do to reach it? Are we willing to give up who we are for who we could become? Am I? Are you?

That is the frightening thing about the future: we don’t know what to expect. We can hope but we won’t know until after the fact and history records what happened. But we can work towards a better future if we work together. And as an unrepentant optimist I believe that our future will be wondrous. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but the distant future is what I believe in. Just as I believe in me and you.

Sink, Sank, Sunk

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I am not the Grammar Police. I am not an expert in all things grammatical. What I am, is an English and Drama Major from a reputable University. I love words. I love the way they can paint a picture. I love their relationship with each other. I love when they are used well. And I hate it when they are perverted.

Just a heads up . . . I am going to have a little rant and I do not wish to offend anyone. If anybody wishes to move on, I promise not to talk about you behind your back. However . . . .

The boat is about to sink. The boat sank. The boat was sunk. That wasn’t too difficult. So why is it that too many newscasters are now saying ‘sunk’ when they mean ‘sank’? Aaaahhhh! It irks me. It truly irks me.

When I was growing up I was taught that they were three tenses: past, present and future. (Yes, I know, even that gets more complicated) Now anyone that comes to English as a second language realizes that it is not an easy one to learn. It contradicts itself, it misrepresents and it is basically confusing. I have always felt that the newscasters were the ones who should get it right. After all, they expect us to listen.

Now language is well and truly alive. It is in a constant state of evolution. And that is a good thing. I’m quite pleased I no longer have to say ‘thou’ and ‘thy’, ‘forsooth’, and ‘by your leave’. I even welcome some of the slang that has entered into the mainstream. English is definitely a colourful language. But, why oh why are you cutting out a tense?

I realize how difficult it is to actually speak correctly. You have to open your mouth to a certain diameter, your lips must be pursed in the appropriate shape and you must vibrate those vocal cords with control. And the control seems to be slipping.

“It seems another boat sunk off the coast of . . .” Me: It sank you idiot! It sank! And that’s not the only case. It’s not just boats that can’t figure out when they’re entering the deep, dark depths. Drink, drank, drunk. Sing, sang, sung. Swim, swam, swum.

I know that the English language is changing. I can’t say I like all the changes but as usual I will adapt. But it’s really nice to every now and then have a little rant. Please don’t hate me as I sink slowly into the quagmire that is the English language. And I was born into it! Whew! Oh, and in the spirit of full disclosure: not all writers follow the rules exactly. They can’t, it can mess up the spirit of what they’re writing. I am guilty as charged.

The Game of Evolution

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How are you today? Really. How we feel each day is depended on so many factors. We usually feel better in good weather. Looking in the mirror with a positive result usually means you are going to have a pretty great day. It also helps to be in the know. Who is it that says information is power? Well I’m going to pass on some interesting factoids. So please make yourself comfortable and listen up.

Here are some percentages of genetic similarity between humans and animals.

(This information was gleaned from the Internet)

Chimpanzees are 96% to 98% similar to humans.

Cats are 90% similar to humans

Cows are 80% genetically similar to human beings

The timid mouse shares 75% of its genes with humans

The humble chicken on your dinner plate shares 60%

The ubiquitous fruit fly also shares 60% of its DNA with humans

Now that you are thoroughly confused and or insulted, remember that we human beings are the dominant species. We are not the fastest or the strongest, the biggest or the toughest on this planet. I would question if we are even the smartest. We are the sneakiest, the meanest and the most dishonest of all the species. Perhaps that’s why we are dominant.

If we share so much DNA with the animal world then why is it that we are doing our best to eradicate that part of the planet? In our defense, there are lots of good people fighting to ensure that we do not destroy our world and ourselves. But what other species spends so much of its time in attempts to commit slow suicide? We’re constantly fighting and killing others of our kind in an attempt to gain, what? We fight for land, for money or for a perceived insult. We allow others like us to starve to death because of greed or complacency. Does this sound like dominance is working for us? It is, but only for small portion of the world.

We have created such incredible wonders. We have created masterpieces of art and architecture, literature and legacy. But still, does any of that matter?

We live longer in the first world countries and with more comforts. What of the second and third world countries? They do not have the excesses that we do.

No one, no child in this world should ever go hungry and yet millions do. No one should ever die of a curable disease and yet millions do.

Some days I am very sad that I have so much and there are others out there who by virtue of where they are born have so much less than I do. I am grateful for what I have and I do not loose sight of the fact that there are those who do not. If we are the dominant species then we have a responsibility to the others who share this planet with us.

I hope that one day we will all recognize that we are not alone, that we need each other. So the next time you crush a fruit fly beneath your Sunday newspaper remember, you are related!

WE ARE HUMAN

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IS MAN AN ILLUSION?

A FIGMENT PERHAPS

OF AN OVER ZEALOUS IMAGINATION?

A CRUEL JOKE ON NATURE?

GOD’S WORK?

WHO ARE WE?

WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?

DO WE KNOW?

DO WE CARE?

DO WE EXIST?

ARE WE THE APE THAT WALKED

STRAIGHT BACK,

HEAD HELD HIGH,

THE BEGINNING OF CONSCIOUSNESS

NUDGING FOR ATTENTION?

OR ARE WE AN ABBERATION

A SIN AGAINST NATURE

A HORROR FROM WHICH WE CANNOT WAKE

A MAGGOT FILLED PSYCHE

FEEDING ON OURSELVES.

WE ARE ALL THESE THINGS

WE ARE HUMAN.

Who am I?

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When I was a child I knew exactly who I was. Some days I was a damsel in distress waiting for her knight in shining armour. Some days I was a brave explorer saving endangered animals from extinction. Some days I was Superwoman and I was going to save the world. And then I grew up.

At High School and then University I had responsibilities to attend my classes.. When I got a job I had a responsibility to the workplace and my coworkers. I had friends that I socialized with. I had family that I loved. Later I had an apartment that I had a responsibility for, and then pets. Superwoman was gone and the brave explorer explored no more. I had grown up.

The years progressed and I was diagnosed with a disease that changed my life. In some ways it allowed me to get back in touch with the child I once was. My responsibilities changed. My priorities changed. And in time my body changed. Move ahead a few decades. My biggest responsibility now is to me. And what does that make me? It makes me human.

As our species has evolved over the millennium, so too have individuals, of course over a much shorter period of time. We have to evolve to fit into society. Some of the dreams we had as children cannot transition into adulthood. Some of the dreams we had as children morph into something comparable but not exact. Adulthood really does take a toll on our childhood dreams! But still sometimes what we’ve dreamt of as a child does come to fruition. There are brave explorers out in the wilds of unexplored lands working to save the endangered species of our world. I’m not one of. There are Supermen and Superwomen out lobbying for the disenfranchised and the needy. I’m not one of them. There are women who play the game of damsel in distress to attract a man they believed to be their knight in shining armour. I’m not one of them.

What I am is myself. I have come to terms with my perceived inabilities. In fact I embrace my disability. I have multiple sclerosis. It does not have me. I have a life and I will continue to live it to the fullest whether it wants me to or not. Do I make concessions to fatigue and other symptoms of this disease? Yes. I am no different than anyone without multiple sclerosis. When they get tired, they rest. When I get tired, wait for it, I rest. We all have issues we need to deal with whether you have a disease or not. And I have made the choice to live and to have a life of my own. That’s who I am.