Evolution and how the world relates

@banadux (630)
United States
July 14, 2008 3:30pm CST
It seems that the right thing to do is always to help each other out. If there are people starving in a country, then other countries should give them food right? What if that country that can't feed themselves keeps increasing their population? It seems that doing the right thing can also be the wrong thing. If there isn't enough food to feed a population in nature then the population will decrease, not increase. If we continue to fight against nature (God?) what will eventually happen? Who will lend a hand when there isn't enough food left in the entire world? I've been giving this considerable thought and I think that soon everyone will be begin to realize you can't help everyone, and sometimes helping someone is hurting everyone in the world even if you don't see it immediately.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@naty1941 (2336)
• United States
14 Jul 08
One must educate the people that one is helping by providing education in birth control.
2 people like this
@banadux (630)
• United States
15 Jul 08
I think that would must certainly help, but what if they deny it due to cultural beliefs? Aren't we just enabling the behavior that will ultimately lead to a catastrophe?
@spongin (71)
• United States
16 Jul 08
What I can't figure out is what the topic is supposed to have with evolution. It has more to do with human consumption and finite resources.
1 person likes this
@banadux (630)
• United States
16 Jul 08
Evolution occurs by slight variations in each generation. The favorable variations need to reproduce more than negative variations in order for the species to evolve over time in a positive fashion. Usually negative variations make it harder for an organism to reproduce and/or survive in the environment. If we feed people that can't provide for themselves we are breeding out traits like, having less children and taking better care of them, or learning to survive in the environment. Fast forward several generations and you have people reproducing in reckless abandon with no regard to their ability to provide. Why does it matter how many children you have if someone else will feed them? Eventually there will be too many to be fed by even external sources and by enabling / promoting this behavior we are leading future generations to hard times and starvation in these areas, possibly to large portions of the world. If we left nature alone the populations would thin until they can survive in their environment, less people means more food per person. People having less children will be able to take better care of those children. The children will learn the value of a small family size and of being able to provide. I think unchecked violence we should stop, but feeding the world is basically shooting yourself in the foot in the long run.
@spongin (71)
• United States
15 Jul 08
Altruistic behavior is not fighting against nature, though. Many animals display altruistic behaviors, such as primates... even certain lizards...
@banadux (630)
• United States
15 Jul 08
If those animals are performing in a similar fashion it's not enough to break the trend being implemented by nature. If the population of rabbits soars the number of their predators goes up and the available food goes down both of which reduce the population, it's an endless cycle. The human population of the earth is steadily increasing even in places where the environment stopped supporting it many years ago. I think something has got to give.