dlbassman journal

"on the end of species", 2017 ------- On the End of Species English 101 Hard times, dangerous times, require reflection on self-preservation. Darwin published "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, but there seems to be an unfortunate misunderstanding about it. There are those who interpret it as: the fittest survive humans, and nations alike the weak must perish Is this a valid premise, and if not, how are the weak to survive? Although used to justify in the following century the most catastrophic wars in human history, in suffering, loss of life, and degradation of humanity, it was found that the strong and the weak perished in about the same proportion. World War II was especially demonstrative of this. World War III is likely to continue this trend, should it occur. In the government of human affairs, the theory does not seem to hold up. This would have come as no surprise to Darwin, for he stated "How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! How short his time, and consequently how poor will be his results, compared with those accumulated by Nature during whole geological periods (chapter 4)!" The same theory has gained much currency in justifying the dynasties and pioneering entrepreneurs who accumulate great wealth and political influence. I have attempted to calculate the hourly wage of such people, in comparison to a reasonable estimate of their contribution to the general welfare. I come up with a high ratio, although my math is not notable. Karl Marx also did some work on this calculation. I leave it to the economists and mathematicians. children in sweat-shops soldiers face down in the mud poverty for pay where were you my friends when the foundation was laid for your edifice the main thing we ask of the middle and the rich is pay your fair share There was a time, in the earlier history of our nation, which is of interest in studying this "survival of the fittest" metaphor. It was 1846, just 15 years prior to the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln had just entered congress, Ulysses S. Grant was a young lieutenant heading for war with Mexico, and Henry David Thoreau was moving into his cabin on Walden Pond. Discord had been rising, and was reaching a fevered pitch, as rivalries between North and South were leading to talk of breaking up the union. In the midst of this turmoil, Daniel Webster had spoken out: It is easier said Webster, to fan discord than subdue its flames The telegraph wires hummed with strident rhetoric. The "Manifest Destiny" of the United States was at stake. A war with with Mexico was called for, and was soon delivered up. Don Lawson, a noted historian, states that Walt Whitman wrote, in the Brooklyn Daily News: "Let our arms now be carried with a spirit which shall teach the world that America knows how to crush as well as expand (30)". Grants thoughts on the Mexican War are expressed in his personal memoirs. The Mexican war, he states, was: "...provoked by the action of the army....(I) regard the war which resulted as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation...the southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions (20-22)." Grant's words echo closely those spoken by Lincoln in his second inaugural address, "He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came." Whether punishment or cause and effect, results are often the same. Thoreau believed respect for the individual was all-important. He was arrested for refusing to pay taxes to support slavery and the Mexican war. At first, the war war was not popular, and was known derisively as President Polk's War". Thoreau perceived that a single person, with the support of relatively few individuals, could "bend the will" of the people. But he also perceived that government can "lose its integrity", even when the majority is allowed to rule. He asks, "Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? " Thoreau asks of a troop of soldiers blindly following their orders, "are they men at all?". It recalls the case of Lieutenant Calley, in the Viet Nam war, who defended the massacre of an entire village by saying he was following orders. Lieutenant Calley subsequently expressed his deep remorse for his actions. In another case this year, 14 women and children were killed in a raid ordered by President Trump, in Yemen, just seven days after he took office. Fake documentation was provided to justify the raid. The M4 chattered mother and daughter perished in each others arms Thoreau states " If I have unjustly wrested a plank from a drowning man, I must restore it to him though I drown myself ". The premise of "survival of the fittest" begins to lose its allure : Price dropped. House, neat, trim. Library with garden view. South of Hell. Thoreau As to effective ways to resist an unjust government, Thoreau thinks voting is not enough. More commitment is required, and the issue being put to vote may be muddled. This can be seen today in legislation to do one thing but as it is crafted, accomplishes an entirely different purpose. When there is no alternative to committing a serious injustice, Thoreau flatly states "break the law." Thoreau advocated peaceful means of resistance, not violent reaction. He states a person should act with his or her "whole influence" to oppose an unjust policy. His implication however seems clear, that when the respect for the individual is lost, there will be nothing left of humanity worth preserving. I do not know, but perhaps he also recalled these thoughts, so connected with his home near Concord Bridge: Liberty or Death the brave, active, vigilant overcome strength - Henry -------------------------------------------------------------------- Works Cited Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species, 6th edition. The Project Gutenberg EBook, 2009. Gutenberg.org. Produced by Sue Asscher. Grant, Ulysses S. The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. Da Capo Press, Second Da Capo Press Edition, 2011. Henry, Patrick. Patrick Henry Speech "Liberty or Death". The History Place (American Revolution). http://historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/henry.htm Thoreau, Henry David. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. [1849, original title: Resistance to Civil Government]. The Project Gutenberg eBbook, 2011. Gutenberg.org, ebooks/71. Typed by Sameer Parekh zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM. Thoreau, Henry David. ( "Price dropped" - paraphrased - unable to find original source) Webster, Daniel. ( "it is easier" - paraphrased - unable to find original source. citation from "Override 8 demonstrated Great Courage". Daily Globe News, Sep. 9 ,2008. ) http://admin.dglobe.com/content/override-8-demonstrated-great-courage Whitman, Walt . (Citation from Don Lawson.The United States in the Mexican War). Abelard-Schuman (The Young People's History of America's Wars series), 1976. ISBN 0-200-00169-8.