The fundamental preference that most forms of life experience is survival.
Every living creature seems to instinctively choose life over death. This preference is of significance because it is a major contributor to evolution. It is why Darwin observed that in one generation the shape of a finch’s beak would change if there was a drought, so that the finch would have better access to their food supply. Survival is thus seen as a contributing factor as to why most forms of life have their own unique form, shape, size, color, appetite and habitat. From my simple observation the instinct for survival seems to dictate most of the preferences in nature.
When it come to humans we are different, but not so different.
When we evolve past survival, our preferences seem to be influenced by our desires for pleasure….pleasures of the mind, of the body, of the heart and of the spirit. When freed of the need to survive, we becomes free to develop other aspects of our humanity. When I compare my current life and preferences to those of my ancestry, I cannot help but explode with gratitude. Central Europe was the origin of all of my ancestry. During much of the 20th Century the devastating motives of a few resulted in 2 World Wars along with the horrors of Nazism and Communism. These travesties reduced most of the world to the survival mode and the US was one of the few places where many could choose their preferences.
During this month when we celebrated America’s Independence Day,
I can’t help but celebrate the freedom to have preferences.
This freedom still does not exist in much of the world and
I cannot help but recognize its importance.
So today, as I sit in the glory of one of our Nation’s National Parks,
I celebrate the freedom to choose-to choose my preferences!
Once again, “May God Bless America!”