Evolution

Today I'd like to converse my thoughts on a rather controversial topic. Evolution.

Do I believe in it? Yes. There is a lot of evidence that points in the favor of evolution.

Is that to say that the creationists are wrong? No.

The way I see it, if Charles Darwin was smart enough to figure out the theory of evolution, then why wouldn't God?

I guess it all comes down to the Bible. I believe that the bible is something to be revered, but there are certain facts to be taken into account when reading the bible. First of all, the bible was written by people who lived thousands of years ago. People who would look at a television and declare it as black magic. And I think God might have understood this. He is God after all. He might have known that there was no way humanity at the time could understand the concept of evolution, and as such he dumbed down the story of creation for them.

The book of Genesis says that God created the Earth in seven days. It also says that millions of years is but a blink of an eye to God. So what's to say God's seven days were actual seven days? Perhaps they were millions of years. And in those millions of years he developed the earth to make it habitable for the humans he would one day populate it with.

Perhaps God knew that we couldn't simply be thrust into the world with all of the knowledge of how to survive freshly stamped into us. He understood that there were things that we needed to learn, instincts you could say. Even more importantly, maybe he thought there were things we needed to discover for ourselves. Maybe the sixth day was that turning point where God finally gave man the spark of intelligence that put him above the animals.

But I digress, getting more to the matter at hand now. The theory of evolutions states that an organism will adapt over a period of thousands of years. Whether that be to climate changes, dramatic alterations in its environment, or otherwise. That's where we lucked out. Humanity is the species that has adapted consistently enough to gain sentience. That spark of free will.

But are we still evolving?

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but I don't see a lot of research into the field of whether or not humanity is still evolving on a genetic level. I see a lot of signs that it is, however, and they don't look good.

See, evolution does not mean, "Advancement," it means adaptation. The perfect example would be swine. Studies show that a pig released into the wild will fall back onto wild instincts and be able to survive in the wild. But if you put a human into the wild (aside from Bear Grylls, I mean) and left him/her with NOTHING but their wits, what do you think the odds of them surviving past a week are? Much slimmer than a pig's.

Most animals have a much stronger immune system than humans do. That's evolution working on both sides. See, the animals themselves are naturally more resistant to the diseases. Their bodies have to fight illnesses on their own, or they die. So their bodies have taught themselves how to fight the diseases. Animals walk everywhere, their stamina is greater. Their instincts are stronger because they have to rely on them.

Humanity is different. We've spent the last two thousand years comforting ourselves more and more. Shoes for our feet, which make it impossible for us to walk long distances without them. Clothing on our bodies which make it impossible for us to deal with cold temperatures without them. Medicines which make our immune systems less and less able to fight off diseases that other species shrug off. This IS evolution. Our bodies are looking at all of these things that do its various jobs for it, and decide to rely on these outside influences.

If you wonder why obesity rates are rising around the world, I position the possibility that it is the next stage of evolution taking its toll on us. Our, "environment," consists of couches, fast food, and leisure in general. Most work is done behind a computer. Exactly how else should our bodies, "adapt," to that kind of environment?

While we're on the subject of evolution, let's get even more controversial. Homosexuality. I'm not against it, so long as no guy's hitting on me.

But I've always wondered how that fits in. Most homosexuals will tell you that it's natural. How they were born. That indicates to me a severe flaw in the instinctual behavior of the species.

A species basic instincts are to further itself, AKA, reproduction. I've heard reports that humans are not the only species that show homosexual tendencies. I grew up on a ranch and have seen a group of steers gang banging (so to speak) a smaller steer. It reminded me less of homosexuality as it normally is, and more of a prison scenario. The steers were secluded from cows, but still had basic needs and instincts. They had to settle with what they had available. But put that same group of steers into a herd of cattle, and they didn't display those tendencies anymore. I guess I can't say for sure whether other species are homosexual, but I don't believe they are.

Because I believe that homosexuality in humans is much like it is in the steers. It's a product of circumstance, not a natural occurrence. Basically, I'm saying that I don't think that you are born homosexual. Some extreme circumstance might psychologically push you towards that path, but to say that a person is BORN that way goes against the natural way. It doesn't matter what your stance is, creationist or otherwise.

The species exists to further itself. Natural selection says, in a nutshell, the survival of the fittest. That's why we have hormones and strong instincts to mate. Basic instincts to keep bringing in new generations. So if homosexuality is a natural thing that you are born with, something instinctual, it quite possibly indicates that our species is dying. Why else would we be developing the instincts to form unions that could not possibly produce offspring? But given my earlier state that we might be evolving around our leisurely lives, the species dying out doesn't seem like such a conspiracy theory.