Evolutionary Biology

After partaking in a 3 hour nap this evening, I went downstairs work on some biology homework (some worksheets on stem cell research, but that is irrelevant). Of course, expecting to accomplish any work was blind hope, and I found myself participating in a semi-intense debate on macroevolution.

Now, I normally hate arguing. Normally, it's because I have no idea what I'm talking about, and I know how much it bothers me when people form opinions based on nonsense. As a general rule, I avoid controversial topics altogether and content myself with reading mildly provocative blog entries on the internet.

But with 5+ books on evolutionary biology under my belt, I couldn't help but give my 2 cents.

I won't go into the details of the debate here, mainly because I don't want this becoming some sort of free-for-all debate fist fight (granted, I probably don't even have enough readers for a proper debate, but that is beside the point).

All I'll say is that I'm not a creationist. My run with my biology course at school as well as my Dawkins and Wilson kick has convinced me macroevolution is the way to go.

As I said, I normally like to steer clear of all things controversial. But this is one of the few topics that I consider important, and one of the very few topics of which I can actually make a cogent argument. So if anyone wants to discuss, feel free to do so.

The World

Changes every day.

Irrevocably.

Permanently.

For better or for worse.

Weekends

I live from weekend to weekend. The work days in between all merge into a mess of classes, busy work, and the daily grind. I can't say what I did last week, but I can say with certainty what I did last weekend (in this case, really nothing at all. I spent hours watching Weeds and loafing around in my apartment).

I look forward to sleeping in, despite my incapability of sleeping later than 9 am. I look forward to the luxury of sitting in my room, not getting anything done, and catching up on my lost episodes of whatever TV show I happen to feel like watching that week.

Some weekends ago, I lazily wandered the streets of Hartsville, SC with neither aim nor destination. I discovered a genealogical research library as well as some side boutiques.

I ended up reading On Human Nature by E.O. Wilson in Centennial Park (if that small patch of plants can be considered a park).

All in all, a good day.

And here I am, looking forward to tomorrow, living from weekend to weekend.

E.O. Wilson

is the man.

What do you wait for?

Ever get that anticipatory tight feeling in your chest?

Of course you do.


My life is a constant waitlist.
Waiting for tomorrow.
Waiting for next week.
Waiting for a new year.

What do you wait for?

I've tried to obliterate that list time after time. The problem arises from the deep rooted fact that I've learned to define and construct my entire image and life after waitlists-- an arbitrary column of boxes to check.

Checkcheckcheck.


Psychologist Daniel Kahneman says that we have two selves: memory and experiential.

We literally live in the experiential. Statistically, our experiential self lasts for three seconds at a time.
So the experiential self that literally feels your existence at this moment. . .

Is gone now.

And another one . . .

And another . . .
And another . . .

Has taken its place.


And yet another.

Our brains are only capable of living in the experiential mode, but paradoxically, we choose to spend much of that mode leafing through our memories.

The memory self that gives us coherence and continuity.


Think back the last ten years of your life.
Not every memory or event.
Just feel the last ten years of your life.

How long did that take you?

The continuity of those last ten years lumped and condensed into a one second memory.

A concentrated, raw, one-second memory.
The memory that lets you feel your self existence in the last ten years.

And here I am living, three seconds at a time.

Waitingfortomorrow.Waitingfornextweek.Waitingforanewyear.

Modes

Modes in which I've often found myself recently:

Oliver Sacks mode.
E.O Wilson mode.
Angry vigilante mode.
Don't give a damn mode.
Chill mode.
Camus mode.

Carpe

Vitam.