“All life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers -- all related. Complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.”- Charles DarwinI guess we all know who Charles Darwin is. He’s the man from our Biology Class who theorized about the evolution of man. But let’s not talk about him or his own concept of evolution in this entry. Let’s focus on the general concept of Evolution per se.
Evolution as defined in the English dictionary means “A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.” It is synonymous with the word development.
This gradual process of development can well be depicted by a baby inside a mother’s womb. Up to now I am bewildered how the union of the sperm and egg cells produces a new human life form in just nine months.
Human development does not stop after the baby is born. The baby is still a work in progress. His bones are yet to be developed. The newborn can’t even use all his senses. It takes years for him to develop fully. To learn how to walk, to recognize the things around him and to talk.
We all know that as we reach a certain point in our human development, which is called adolescence or puberty we get to experience some major changes in our body. Well, I don’t want to elaborate on that anymore, you’re aware of that I know. Most of these changes are physical in nature, but unconsciously we get to experience some emotional, social or mental changes.
These emotional or social changes are I think the most important part of the evolution of one’s personality. It will define and identify someone apart from the crowd. Changes which would play a vital role in facing the world we’re living in.
People evolve. I can vouch for that and I know no one would disagree with me. Look back at your childhood, teenage years or the point towards adulthood. If you have time, why not make a list of some of the things which you can consider a major change in you. Physical, emotional, social or mental. See how far have you evolved.
There’s a point in our lives that we became independent. We get to have our own choices. We somehow managed to get in control of our lives. Being independent can be fun but can sometimes be a little bit dangerous. Part of being in control of our lives is that we get to manipulate some changes that is about to take place.
Let’s get Physical!Remember the first time you felt a sudden adrenaline rush. You’re heartbeat just went fast. For unknown reason at all you just can’t sleep and the only thing that keeps running in and out of your brain is the person who just sat beside you? Man, you’re in love!
I guess most of us experience this in the first stages of our teenage years or for those late bloomers on the brink of adulthood. And I am guessing that the morning we wake up we just can’t get ourselves out of the mirror as vanity knocks in front of us.
Now as we face this phase in our lives we started to be conscious of how we appear in the public. And that’s the time we get have our grooming habits. We get to have the hair style we want. I, myself, have undergone a lot of hairstyle in the past, from clean-cut, long-hair, semi-kal, or skinhead. I just felt like I needed to constantly change my hairstlyle depending on the mood I have and the way I want to be seen by others.
We even make sure that our clothes are "in" and always fit for the occasion when we wear them. We really spend money to buy a new pair of jeans, a new t-shirt or a new pair of shoes just to look good and feel good about ourselves.
With the mushrooming of gym centers, we get to have the body we want. Those with flabby tummy get to have the eight pack. Those who want to have a good muscular body is not anymore impossible, with just a gym membership, and with the supplements around the market. Or if you really have the money, Dr. Belo and Calayan is just around the corner to loosen up the fats in your body. And who have not experienced having pimples? With the facial centers and facial products around, a pretty and good looking face is not anymore impossible.
Knowledge is Power!
The knowledge we get from school is just a starting point of learning and developing our minds. We continually learn. Just by reading a book, listening to someone or experience something, we learn. I know a lot of people who have not excelled in school but are big bosses in their fields. I, myself was once a nobody in class, but with hard work and the passion to learn, I evolved into someone who can humbly be proud of his achievements.
Experience is the best teacher. A person who has been on the streets for all his life would interests me more than a cum laude. I believe that a person who has experienced a lot would give me more useful information, knowledge or tips on how to survive this cruel world of ours. I wondered how this man from the streets have evolved into a stronger person by enduring the difficulty he has to face, the heat of the sun, the hard rain and strong winds, and the times he doesn’t have anything to eat. All these have made me thought how more lucky we could get.
E-MO
I was a loner back then. An introvert as they say. If the word "emo" was ever been coined during those times, I would have been called one. But we can twist everything if we want to. With the right amount of confidence and willingness to share our thoughts with others we can evolve into a person more likeable and approachable. From one who has been a nobody once come a person who is vibrant and someone to look up to.
With the vast number of people we get to meet everyday, at work, school, in the bar or in the network community we have over the net, like this one, we sometimes unconsciously evolve into a different person. Just by communicating with someone with a different orientation or background gives you some insights. Insights which in one way or another start to mold you into a new person.
Have you ever asked yourself why do you join group or associations? Sometimes we need peers or friends right? We need some support group. We need people who share the same interests as ours. Sometimes even if we don’t share the same interests we want to try some stuffs they’re into so we join their group. Be it a Christian group, A music group, or a fraternity or sorority, we all need a companion. And being in the same group helps you evolve. You actually evolve with each other by simply sharing the experiences together.
People Evolve. But the concept of evolution as theorized by Darwin cannot absolutely apply to the evolution I am talking about. Evolution is a choice. It is an offshoot of the experiences of the past. We choose to change the status quo because we want to be better persons. We want to create an atmosphere that would really help you be yourself and be happy.
Evolution is not limited to the changes I have mentioned above. Change is everything. A person’s ideologies or philosophies may be inspired by some other person or even a movement at this time but it may gradually change when he sees that change is necessary. A person may be the most cruel and corrupt person on earth, but people evolve, people change. A person may be the greatest serial killer of all time but if he sees an opportunity for reformation, he can evolve into the most admired person in the world. A person may hate the world but he may evolve into someone who appreciates life more.
Some resist change. Some resist a change in the form of government. Some resist in the change in the Constitution. Some resist a rare and big opportunity. Some wanted to be as static as stagnant water. But it’s their choice. As long as they can live with that, there’s nothing wrong with it. Whatever their reason we have to respect them as much as they respect those who embrace change.
But those who live to embrace change have to consider that there’s always a perfect timing for everything. It’s important to bear in mind that changing into something is too fragile to handle, because sometimes, whether you like it or not, change is irreversible.
The evolution of a person, I believe has become part and parcel of our existence. Even the world we live in is not in good shape anymore as it is gradually changing. Our world might even evolve from one which is livable to ‘leavable’ because it cannot anymore sustain life.
Change has been said is constant and inevitable. As the world continuously revolve around the sun, we likewise evolve. Be it for the better or for worse, we do get a taste of change. A change which could either define a new meaning in our lives or just make us fall apart.
