Does Evolution lead Humans to Extinction?

The Universe gave birth to all known elements that exist here on Earth. A simple chemical circumstance; born from basic elements like hydrogen and carbon, lead to the origins of life on Earth. The right mixture of compounds, light, temperature and natural electricity (lightning) is all that is needed to breed the building blocks for cellular structure. These early compounds were the ancestors of DNA. Gravity brought various molecules together to form the first cells which then became more complex elementary compounds. It took hundreds of millions of years for the first tiny plant like organisms to form, giving off oxygen. We as humans are a thread that connects back to the first cells that inhabited Earth over a billion years ago. Humans are a survivor of adaptions and evolution. Four billion years of evolution can breed many possibilities; especially when there are basic life building elements like water, carbon, oxygen and light.

“We are the product of 4.5 billion years of fortuitous, slow

biological evolution. There is no reason to think that the

evolutionary process has stopped.”

- Carl Sagan

Humans continue to evolve today. Over the course of the next few thousand years there will be shifts in our development both biologically and socially. Will adaptation and natural selection weed out the fettered and unnecessary? I thought long and hard about this philosophical quandary and at first my heart settled on the notion that people who are connected to the sublime energy that is our surroundings and the Universe; people with compassion and a giving nature would evolve to the next level in our human story – leaving behind those that live through greed, fear and ego. I think my own heart has romanced my better intuition away from reality.

All we have is history to look back on. For hundreds of thousands of years man has evolved leaving behind the Stone Age to be greeted by the Modern Age. Still under the social static of religion and progression is this human instinct to dominant – For thousands of years there has been war as stronger tribes or nations weed out the weak manipulating and raping resources along the way. What does this mean for our evolution? I got to be honest and say that my gut tells me our evolution is a path to human extinction. With climate change, global starvation and water and natural resources being plundered, the future does not look positive.

For hundreds if not thousands of years, there have been philosophers, light workers and philanthropists that humbly give and do not selfishly take – yet this is a minority that though noble, is not something that has evolved into our commonplace society. Our world has always been ruled by a powerful few that controls the masses. I know in my heart and soul that giving, compassion and love is the true path of our evolutionary existence, but will this path lead to a holistic utopia or will greed and gluttony send us on a path of extinction?

In many ways evolution is a personal choice. We all have choices to make on even the most personal levels: Eating right and exercising; meditation and expanding our minds – connecting to nature and the sublime energies that created the Universe. These acts of progression lead to a more self-actualized future. It is our obligation to teach our children the same virtues. If an environment fosters the capacity of change, then adaption will foster the evolution of species. As environments change, so do the creatures that inhabit it. Change is relative and if the right surroundings are present, then anything can happen. The birth of humans is proof of that…

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com