living, thinking and writing
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| PRACTICE living, thinking and writing |
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Wednesday, April 07, 2004 Is this our ancestor? PBS Nova was running a special on coelacanth . It amazed me that we this species was not in our high school textbook back to China, even what we learnt in biology, as well as in politics (yes, we have courses called politics, or “ethic education” when we were younger) started with introduction to evolution theory. In short, coelacanth is the oldest fish (about 400 million years) living in deep sea and strangely acquired some features of amphibian: limbs instead of fins, viviparous instead of oviparous, and as big as human being. Because of these features, it was considered the “missing link” in evolution process before the living one was re-discovered in 1930’s. Animal and politics were the new interests I acquired since living with a man. I think we are good complements to each other. He opens the window outward for me to see the macroscopic, real world, I push his window inward and he finds his sensitive heart and fluttering spirit. Anyway, the world of animal does mimic the political arena, or the other way around, in both of them survival of the fittest. Maybe that’s why men are more into politics, and why they fridge their butts off in front of “Animal planet” or “National Geography”?…. I could go on discussing the parallel of animal world and international politics, but I get a little tired recently for paying too much attention on politics. More importantly, my man prefers his girl to embrace art and beauty, so I’d better shut up (remember Barbara’s fate in The way we were?) But still I have something to say, and I’m just saying it as someone pursuing knowledge. I will not consider myself a firm believer of evolution, upon which, though, my whole elementary and higher education were built. I think monkey might be my cousin, but we are not born to the same parents. My intuition tells me life is way too complicated than evolution process, though there is some scientific veracity in it. Then here is a tough question: Do I believe in creation? I might have less reservation on this idea, if God inspired a biologist or astronomer to document the Genesis (that doesn’t mean I don’t respect Moses). Am I a nihilist? I hope not. I believe that God, as the spiritual saver, should only be kept in ones’ heart. Religion is personal and should not be forced on public life. Too many radical things in this world are carried on under the name of religion: war, terrorism, femicide, filicide, obstetricide (I made this word), burning of artcrafts and books, and persecution of of science; I don’t know what evil thing could not be done under the inspiration of God or purporting a defence of religious integrety, and everyone thinks their deeds justified. We can love our God, but the God should not be used against what we are not agreed upon, and certainly it should not be the reason we keep ourselves from pursuing knowledge that might be against what’s in Bible. Well, a too serious topic. To conclude with some lightness, but not only trying to be funny, I will say I was once more convinced by message from X files- we were the creature of, or at least were adapted by, some entity with higher wisdom (it was aliens in X file). Who is this higher wisdom? Is it My God? The truth is out there. posted by lmeimei @1:09 AM| permanent link| | |
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