Not “Survival of the Fittest” but through Cooperation
I WILL survive the onslaught of Corona Virus because I am very strong. That is wrong. That dictum “Survival of the Fittest” is wrong! There is now an evolving consciousness that Darwin’s theory of Survival of the Fittest is flawed and must be debunked, a wrong concept that has given way to a roadmap of paradigm that has justified the gross inequities and social injustices in a world where a few oligarchs are in control, that is, if “fittest” is equated to the strongest, the most aggressive who will defeat anyone who dare to challenge to dominate. That dictum only applies to a jungle-like existence like hungry wolves competing who is the one who will eat a cornered prey.
The “survival of the fittest” principle only survives in a highly competitive world. Certainly, the strongest wins. But competition only works in paradigm called the Neo-Liberal Capitalism concretized by globalization where the global corporations rule through exclusion of the poor and the oppressed. We must understand that competition has not always been a driving force in human societies. The scientist and philosopher Peter Kropotkin writes: “If we ask nature who are the fittest: those who are continuously at war with each other or those who support one another?” We at once see that the animals which acquire habits of mutual aid are undoubtedly the fittest. They have more chances to survive and they attain, in their respective classes, the highest development of intelligence and bodily organization.”
That mindset of the strongest controlling everything has worked for the beasts in a world where the name of the game is survival. It should not be the case now where the name of the game should be sharing, cooperation and service.
It is horrible even to contemplate the present economic order in a world where only eight families have a total wealth equivalent to the total assets of more than 3.6 billion earthlings based on a study by Oxfam. I can only surmise that these billionaires with their tremendous financial rakings at the expense of the people and the environment are justifying such economic domination because after-all it is survival of the fittest and they are the fittest who would crash down anyone in business. No sir! Enough is enough of so much unbridled materialism and consumerism. That theory has reduced man who is an embodied spirit created by God in His image and likeness to being just a beast. That flawed theory has spawned a wrong development paradigm called Neo-Liberal Capitalism, a growth-at-all-cost development strategy that has sacrificed Mother Earth and the people to the altar of greed and profit. History tells us how man has become so dominating that wars have to be resorted every time threats to one’s domain loom.
There is no need to live in that jungle-like world anymore. The universe is unfolding so fast that there are so many things to do, to know, to discover and to explore. No need to prove who is the best but the only path is to cooperate, to work together, to be one so that humanity can journey to a higher level towards spirituality. Each one of us is a stream of consciousness that must be connected to each other to gain strength towards that Ocean of Consciousness called Love, called God!
So the meaning now of the “fittest,” is the most cooperative, the most loving, the most service-oriented. Man has ceased to be Homo Sapiens as such is a failed specie who caused the deaths of more than 100 million of his kindred during the last one hundred years. That specie now has evolved to be Homo Pacem or Espiritus Luminus, men and women for peace and enlightened spirits as they are now connected to that Ocean of Love called God!
Indeed, man is more spiritual than being a body so we must not “live by bread alone.” Even King Solomon in the Ecclesiastes said that power, wealth, titles – these are meaningless, utterly meaningless. What is important is what is in our hearts and how we live to advance what is good, what is true and what is just. These are what really matter so that when we die, we will end up in God’s loving embrace. That is how to be Homo Pacem or espiritus luminous, the new consciousness.
That new consciousness is now gaining headways in a materialistic world shifting towards spirituality as manifested by the growth of cooperativism that is founded on time-honored and universally-accepted cooperative principles and practices. There are now more than one billion cooperative members on earth who are exemplifying to the highest degree that biblical line, “serve the least of your brethren and you serve the Lord.” That is also clearly announced in the Holy Scripture and manifested in the song, to quote: “… walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang, walang sinuman ang namamatay, para sa sarili lamang. Tayong lahat ay ginawa ng Panginoon, para sa isa’t isa.”
The shift now is from self-aggrandizement to collective power. That talent given to you by God should not be used for self-aggrandizement but to serve one another to propel humanity to greater heights for God’s greater glory. Through cooperation and mutual aid, no way can Covid-19 prevail over us!!
“The shift now is from self-aggrandizement to collective power. That talent given to you by God should not be used for self-aggrandizement but to serve one another to propel humanity to greater heights for God’s greater glory.”