The Contemporary Survival of the fittest

Survival of the fittest, a phrase that is nearly synonymous to the theory of evolution, but despite its common use people have a total   misunderstanding of what this phrase means. Let’s start from where people tend to go wrong. While it may be closely related to the theory of evolution, the phrase “survival of the fittest” was not actually coined by Charles Darwin. In reality, it was made popular by a man named Herbert Spencer, and he actually came with the term years before Darwin published his theory of evolution.

As it turns out Spencer’s views were not exactly the most humanitarian. Spencer thought that the Darwin’s theory could also be applied to economic theory.  According to Spencer foundations of evolution lies in cooperating in the ecosystem and bio diversity we are living in and not in the competition and strength. The focus of niches and cooperation not even points out that how ecosystem and evolution work, but it also makes for a better model for how we as humans should treat each other in society. There is nothing bad in little competition it has its place in nature and society but we need to know our personal responsibilities in order to make the society worth living for.

In the context of this theory, I want to address a situation from which every human being on this earth is affected. As we all are facing pandemic, a worldwide health threat, and no one can escape out from it. Pakistan continues to grapple with third wave of corona virus. On Sunday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which is managing the country’s coronavirus response, announced a slew of new measures to attempt to control the spike in infections, which appear to be centered in Punjab province and the capital Islamabad. We are living in an inevitable situation where no one knows who is carrying the virus and it is the study that even if you are vaccinated you can still transmit the virus to the person you are in contact with because vaccine is responsible for boosting up your immune system and not to block all the air particles that carry virus. So following SOP’s is mandatory in any case. Now it is every individual’s responsibility to see his niche and cooperate with the state in order to lessen the surge of the affected cases. It is the survival of the fittest, if your immune system is good then you may survive but it does not give you an authority to go out and put other people’s lives on stake who are weak. No miracle will happen to take us all human out of this plague, but it will be our own will to get through it by acting responsible.

I think least that you can do for others to not go out of your homes until it’s the deadliest need and in my view it is enough to save the world at this point. What if for some time we stop doing outdoor activities and live in our rooms, reading books, enjoying with families and creating the art work or doing something on which we are good at but all staying at home. Let’s help the vulnerable, let’s help the only bread earner in the house, and let’s help the already collapsing economy by not adding more into its account. Follow the protocols, don’t go outside, help the needy, and pray for the betterment of the world. Stay home, stay safe.

AUTHOR: HIRA ARSHAD