'Loose Talk'
By Benjamin Benedict

Down The Line

We witness evolution on a regular basis. Whether it is Scottish mountain sheep forced off grazing land onto an island shore, where within a few generations they become dependant on seaweed, or welsh hedgehogs who in fifty years no longer freeze in the face of a car’s headlights, but run as fast as their little legs can carry them, or lizards placed on an island with few insects but much vegetation, where in thirty years they develop a new digestive system capable of more efficiently processing their new diet. In the case of the lizards, they say that thirty years for them is equivalent to a few hundred years for us. Evolution is dependant on generational turnover and ours is a lot slower than the comparatively short lived lizards.

The examples that I have listed above depend on the animals being placed in new circumstances which require their adaptation. Over the last few hundred years, our physical circumstances have become easier, so on a physical level, we have nothing much to adapt to. I don’t doubt that this is the root cause of the increase in allergies, cancers, and the like. While in earlier times, the subjects of these illnesses simply died, now they often survive and procreate, thereby perpetuating the illness which they suffer from.

However, on a mental level, we have every reason to adapt to our rapidly changing situation, and I wonder who we would meet twenty-four generations ahead of where we are today. As I say, I doubt whether we would be physically changed (unless we become the subject of genetic engineering) but would our mental make-up be the same?

We live in an increasingly specialist society and one ‘Brave New World’ scenario might be for specialist minds to evolve to the point that there would be little correspondence between the various groups. This makes a good story, but the inconsistent way our genes work, picking out facets from our grandparents and beyond make me doubt it. Added to this is the human fascination with physical beauty, causing unions between those who otherwise have little in common.

But there is a possibility that a more objective, sympathetic strand might develop within us. Our tribal background has been sufficiently strong for uncountable millions of us to have been ravaged by a never ending series of wars, but now it seems that more and more of us will simply not take sides. I remember in the sixties a friend saying that if there was a fight he would be the first to run (just like the hedgehogs).

At the time, this was not a common point of view, and I don’t think it is now, but it is certainly more widespread. This does not directly equate with ‘pacifist’ or CND sentiment. It is less political and more personal and I can see how this might in time become part of our nature. We would of course fight if our backs were against a wall, but it would need more than aspersions concerning our birth, manhood, faith or nationality to trigger such an event.

Also, we might become more perceptive. I think that we are starting to realize that language can only take us so far along the road of personal understanding, and a more intuitive nature would be a great help, not only in relating to ourselves but to all other living things.

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