Survival of the Fittest

My father’s generation had three distinct choices in terms of growing up: 1.) working for the family by taking over the family farm or running the family business; 2.) military service; and 3.) continuing education/college. Having been plotting my life out since I was four-years-old, I have encountered a point where it is much more difficult to continue plotting with the beckoning opportunities a change in generation and societal attitudes welcomes.

On the cusp of college graduation, I am left to figure out what my best assets are, what commodities are readily available to me, and thus every time I apply those assets and invest my energy I am therefore exposing myself to risk. With so many opportunities and the fluctuation of markets I cannot predict the future, and an investment that appears to be a safe bet one day may turn out differently 10-20 years from now. Under normal circumstances, different aspects of life in general fluctuate in value, and there is no law or agency that will protect me. With that, there are many looming pressures to examine my future investments in life in aspects of life…

To know oneself is one thing, but it is not all encompassing. I cannot measure all of my proximities—the space that I take up—the air I demand—the closeness to death, and the hierarchical scale of desires and basics needs verses altruism and morality. I am simply a product of phenotypes and genetic codes, aged by the moon, who tells me when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to dance. Even if I put my energy into something ‘secure’ such as something insured or interest-bearing, I am risking the possibility of earning more elsewhere, which makes career/academic choices, courtship, pair-bonding, and nesting so relevant! All risks are not equal, and I know I should limit some of my investment risks to what's comfortable for me, and ultimately, acknowledge certain elements of uncertainty in pursuit of larger returns and gains. The diversification and quality of my life portfolio greatly depends on my risk tolerance, which means welcoming new experiences that perhaps, cart me from my comfort zone. As one, who thrives off of the notion of challenge combined with new experiences, this can only be seen as a capital gain.

In terms of success, ‘chance’ is such a large factor, and each individual is so complex—thus making it difficult to accurately assess risk. My ‘Life Motto’ stands as, “Know yourself, research before you act, diversify your investments and life experiences, and make sure the investments meets your needs.” But, when you add happiness into the equation, you open a whole new can of worms. I need to know my real rate of return after selecting a career/continuing education path or mate, and asking myself truthfully, “What am I gaining?” I think this is why it is so important for me to have time to reflect, share Americanos and good conversation with good friends in hopes to develop an informal annual report system to track my progress.

If there is one thing my parents have bestowed upon me it is the notion that, “I belong to me.” I have a closet full of different women, and MAC tools I use to paint a different face for whatever endeavor that presents itself, therefore making any situation my own. As a female, I find myself with dueling roles. In terms of sexual dimorphism, we are not that different compared with other species, but the fact that females can reproduce can be looked at a large difference in itself. The mere fact that females are the sex with the ability to be certain about maternity, puts them at risk for males dominating them with power through insecurities, their immunity in terms of reproduction, and a lack of opportunity to engage in both hunter and gatherer roles. Males and females thus have different sets of consequences and risk factors. I won’t go on a feminist tirade and depict the implications of the Glass Ceiling theories, but I know that I need to compose a set of assets and a portfolio of experiences, initially, before I am open for the market. Our group as primates is somewhat unique in terms of the lengthy process of courtship, perhaps there is a reason for this, whether Darwinian selected for or not. In our society, it is difficult to preserve the ‘fruit of fertility’ as a circumstance that makes our sex ‘special’ and significant to the continuation of mankind on a personal and individual level when it can hinder one to such a degree. I am not masking myself as Lady Macbeth calling upon the spirits to unsex me to carry out male dominated attributes and endeavors, but acknowledging the inequalities in consequences and risks between males and females, and any advantage or disadvantage one has at the starting blocks at the beginning of the race of life seems relevant—If not essential for success and dare I say, survive of the fittest.

Pair bonding in itself, does not always seem to adhere to Darwinian theory in my opinion. It offers tax breaks and what, stability for raising offspring, and an obscenely tall white cake? I think our rates of divorce and promiscuity create their own arguments… But as a species and society that embraces a replication of the ‘American Dream’ of the house with the white picket fence in the suburbs with two kids, a dog in the yard, and a Ford in the driveway I again feel conflicted. Sharing your life experiences, building a joint account or portfolio, and making copies of your combined genetic copies is all fine and dandy, but as humans our lengthy childhood, sexual maturation, and courtship processes allows for important growth and development to occur…

All in all, the logistical helix of changing generations and societal attitudes; chance, happiness, and morality; sexual differences in risks and consequences; and diverse portfolios and investments draws a rough draft sketch of who we are and who we will thus become.