 |
| God is... |
As I am reading David Sloan Wilson’s book, “The Neighborhood
Project – Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time,” I find it
useful to have 70 years behind me.
Initially I did not like Wilson comparing life, his and all life, to the
randomness of a metal pinball bouncing into or off of something else. But the more I thought about it the
more I understood and even liked his metaphor. I see how it fits with his definition that evolution is
about randomness, differences and change.
Looking back over my life I understand how my actions, and
the actions of many others had the pinball effect, changing the direction of my
life. It ends the idea of
control. It shines a light on the wise
counsel to accept whatever is as a foregone conclusion while also defining the
starting point for change and growth. It all sounds so simple now. It wasn’t. But
I am still here.
I am early into Wilson's book. He is setting the stage for what is to come through
story. First there is the story of
the paternalistic George F. Johnson, a shoemaker from humble roots who cared
for his employees through good wages and working conditions, providing health
care, and starting a savings account for every child born to an employee. He gave the community parks,
recreational facilities, and carousels for the children. I saw in Johnson’s story the difference
between the patriarchal versus the caring paternal. It also reminded me that I really want to see Robert Reich’s
(former U.S. Labor Secretary) movie “Inequality for All.” Then Wilson tells the story of the remarkable
water strider’s adaptation to walk on water, but their less than successful
group interactions’, compared to the highly successful interactions of wasp
colonies.
The author really wants us to understand his profession as a
scientist and evolutionary biologist.
He writes, “I rankle at the way science is understood by the general
public, especially when it is portrayed as a sacred body of knowledge presided
over by a priestly caste.” And we
are back in the pinball machine again with his statement: “Every movement made by an organism is based on a physical environmental input, which initiates a physical chain of events inside the organism, which results in the physical movement of the organism—its behavioral output.” I look forward to reading more about how we adapt, change and grow.
What if we all bumped into the more paternal and maternal
among us more often?
No comments :
Comment