Survival Of The Fittest

I have long felt that the human race is due for extinction. I know that many would disagree with me, and I'm sure that they have good reasons. History (I mean really long term history here) shows that a species must adapt and improve itself or it will be overrun by another species. Look at the mastodon, sabertooth tiger, and dodo bird. All did not adapt to changes, all became extinct. We, the human race, are in danger of becoming extinct.

Humans have adapted for thousands and thousands of years. We moved from the grasslands, to the jungles, to caves. Each move made life safer and easier. Our brains grew and we developed speech. In most cases this was a good thing. We learned to use tools and became farmers as opposed to hunters. Food was more consistent and plentiful, and very rarely did you hear about a farmer beaten to death by an angry stalk of corn.

As we progressed, our tool use improved. We developed various tools for farming, hunting, and travel. Writing, music, painting, and drama all became part of our lives. Recently (geologically) we went through the Industrial Revolution. Now we are in the Information Age. Our brain pans should be growing so fast that we all should have permanent headaches from the pressure.

So what is wrong? Why are we devolving?

When I was growing up children learned a very important evolutionary essential:

We are each responsible for our own actions.

We each knew someone who had fallen off the monkey bars and cracked his head open. There was also the person who tried to catch the lawn jart at the end of its flight. Then don't forget the sixteen year old who tried to beat the train. Or the drunk who tried to drive home. If you survived these things you could plan on getting the tar beaten out of you when your parents caught you. Obviously you either learned your lesson or you were never able to do anything physically again. In the first instance you were being groomed to be a stronger person and a better parent. In the second instance you were probably unable to reproduce. Either way the human race became stronger.

Today we are in the process of dumbing down the gene pool. There is a young lady that was walking along an active railroad track. When the Union Pacific came rumbling by it clipped her and damaged her thumb (don't ask, I can't even imagine). Now, instead of being totally embarrassed and blaming herself, she hired a lawyer and is suing the railroad. Apparently they were negligent because there weren't signs posted that warned her that it is dangerous to walk near active tracks. The really sad part of this is that she is alive and able to reproduce.

I would love to see a class action lawsuit against the American Bar Association for driving the human race towards extinction. I know it wouldn't get anywhere, there's not a lawyer around that would take the case, but give me the right jury and we'd all be rich.

So, in closing, I'd like to wish a fond farewell to all my fellow homo sapiens. We lived a long life, and we fought the good fight. I'm not sure when it's coming, but sometime very soon we will be replaced.