In response to inquiring questions from readers over a previous publication on Darwin’s Doctrine on mental hygiene, here is further information connected therewith.
The doctrine of Natural Selection has to do with a misunderstood concept of “survival of the fittest” which is Nature’s way of preservation and protecting of the species.
A German sage, Johann W. Goethe (1749-1832), expressed the doctrine as follows: “Nature will not stand any nonsense. She is always true, always earnest, always strict. She is always right. The mistakes and errors are always those of man. Nature spurns the inadequate, and only to the open-minded, the true and pure does she yield, and reveal her secrets to him”.
The so-called “secrets” in Natures’ mechanism of selection are in reality the child-like simplicity and openness which characterize the working of Nature. Nowhere in the mechanism can anyone find a deviation, distortion, inconsistency, malice or injustice, once the pattern of operation is observed and understood. Connected with the working of Nature is the fact that innumerable beings, great and small and unseen to man, are busy at work in every sphere of life and existence. There are over-seers, watchers, weavers, etc.
Beings working in various spheres are never mean, corrupt, incompetent or under the control of any power or authority, except the Will of Whom they serve and obey. They work in various posts and follow a chain-command management process.
Alexander Pope (1688-1744), a British poet, in his Essay on Man stated that “what looks to us like mere chance and accident in the world is really part of a divine plan, even though mere mortals may not be able to comprehend that plan”. In other words, human understanding and perceptions of the complexities of life are quite limited and narrow, more so because of the activities and doctrines of incompetent and false teachers.
Various world scriptures which are meant to clarify the signposts and roadmaps as guidance for humans on life’s pilgrimage, are often distorted such that the messages which they convey are rarely clearly understood. The fact that life’s pilgrimage demands that we pass through many redeeming experiences, however frustrating or painful, has also been distorted, to such an extent that we are not stern enough with ourselves. In the place of the principle of personal responsibility, what is often emphasized is vicarious redemption. We long to have everything easy!
The doctrine of natural selection has to do with the principle of natural adaptation, whose final stage culminates in harmonious alignment with a free will, arrival at that final stage of adaptation takes a very long time, demanding repeated exposures for learning purposes. The earth is not only a learning field, but all guilts avenge themselves on earth. Therefore, the cliché of “survival of the fittest” gives an idiom of what it takes to emerge victorious from the learning and testing ground that the earth is. No one can evade the cleansing and purifying process involved therein.
What we find on earth is a situation where human beings have been described as artful dodgers, which is amply demonstrated in the culture of examination malpractices in our school system. Any complaints about corruption, sharp practices, inability to obey the laws and all of those issues that are our common experiences, are merely reflections of the state of affairs as they are. Clever as anyone may think that he is, Nature has an in-built strategy for screening and elimination of weak and unwanted species.
An old Nigerian musician once sang a song saying: Anything you do, you do for yourself. If you do good, you do for yourself, and if you do bad, you do for yourself”. Like that musician who sang the song, Charles Darwin was not a clergyman; not a pastor or bishop, neither did he ring bell from street to street, preaching to anyone. It is easier to preach sermons and tell others what to do or avoid doing, but it is necessary that those who preach should not spread false doctrines which can lead people astray.
Nature provides simple means by which anyone can observe and understand its working mechanism. Similarly, within every human being there are simple mechanisms for perceiving, absorbing and reading the body language of Nature, independently. Human volition serves as a steering instrument to choose what to desire, embrace or shun. The conscience is ever there to admonish, warn, guide and help in moments of perplexity. There is the intuitive faculty which serves as a gateway to rarefied consciousness.
Therefore, with the provisions for guidance, decision-making and links with realms of light Nature demands that humans should use the available resources for their good. It would amount to weakness or inadequacy which Nature spurns, if man indulges and cultivates attributes that would undermine his well-being. Therefore, the concept of natural selection is a demonstration of the mechanism which allows only the true, the pure and what can pass the test of justice to be able to pass through “the eye of the needle”. No cheating!
The kingdom of Nature is not one that can be taken by force or through gangsterism, cunning or corrupt practices, no matter how any brigand or desperado may try to do so. The admonition to guard the heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life, is an admonition pointing towards what it takes to be able to pass through the selection process. Being endowed with the right to make choices and decisions, which may not always be used aright, human have the responsibility to correct, atone and learn from their wrong choices, decisions and actions.
Creatures not endowed with free will swing in harmony with the laws of Nature and therefore incure no guilts, but Nature has a provision for cyclic renewal in the case of biological species. In the case of humans the cyclic renewal process provides great opportunities for refining, adaptation and expansion of awareness which would be quite necessary in the selection regime. Like in the school system, there can be drop-outs! Quite many can fail out.
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer from the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.