donderdag, augustus 17, 2023

Are we the pinnacle of evolution?

We are the best of the best, right? Humans are the top of the line in the animal kingdom. We rule them all!

Why? Because...well...because we can think. And choose not to. For instance: we invented democracy. That fine system with voting rights for everyone! And only two thousand years later also for poor people, people with darker skin colour than Bob Hope and one day even for people without a penis! 

What a great achievement, right? In some countries you don't even have to be of opposite sexes to get married! Perhaps one day our great-grandchildren will live in a world n which everyone is truly equal. Just as equal as people who were born in a rich country from rich parents!

We also invented the Post-it: a sticky piece of paper that won't stick for long. On purpose. And bubblewrap. 

We even became so evolved that we don't kill other animals for food but strictly to see the numbers change in a bank account. Or simply for 'sports'. 

Why do we think that humans are the best kind of animals? Because we make progress? We've been making 'progress' for some 35,000 years now. And look at the state of the planet. And those of people. Of whom some 35,000 die from an easy to solve problem: hunger. Every. Single. Day. But hey, at least we are capable of wondering why we are so stupid. That makes us really, really intelligent, right?

Plus: we humans have been around for some 300.000 years! Isn't that amazing?


Not really. At least not compared to the jellyfish. The jellyfish (click) have been around for over 500 million (...) years. And the jellyfish will most likely outlive humans. Although they haven't made any kind of progress as a species that we know of. And perhaps that's the secret to last that long: when you have something that works, don't change it. If you do, you may kill yourself. And the planet along with it.

Perhaps - if only to save the planet - we should take a step back and leave things to this amazing creature:


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