Forget ‘Survival of the Fittest’ – how about ‘Survival of the Friendliest’?

WHEN Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1864, he used the phrase “natural selection” to describe the idea that the impulse of nature and natural forces is to survive. Economist Herbert Spencer suggested that these theories tallied with his economic theories and used the phrase ‘Survival of the Fittest.’ Darwin liked this, and began to use the phrase himself in future publications.

Even if we are unaware of its origins, this is a phrase that has entered our lives and is used often to promote the idea that the strong will survive and the weakest will go to the wall in all areas of life.

Such a notion seems at odds with the values Jesus championed. He suggested that those who struggled to reach the top would find themselves at the bottom. He applauded the stranger who stopped to help a wounded man who turned out to be his enemy. He declared those whose contribution to life truly mattered were the ones who fed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited those in prison. Saint Paul listed the qualities that should be seen in our lives including, “patience, kindness and goodness”.

World history is full of examples of those who have gone out of their way to help those who are struggling and rescue those who are being left behind. This last year we can all tell stories of how communities have come together; of how the weak have been protected and the vulnerable supported and cared for. Whether we have delivered food parcels to those in need or been on the receiving end of such care and love, we have much to be proud of by the way we ensured that those who are least “fit” did not become victims of the pandemic.

As we continue to move forward into a life free from the restrictions we have got used to and look to see how we can take our good experiences of the past year into our shared future, perhaps we need a new phrase to shape our lives. Dare I suggest, ‘Survival of the Friendliest’?