Reflection Title: The Madness Gene!
Book – The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Part 1 of 2)
Book Description:
Over the last half-billion years, there have been Five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
Reflection:
One of the most impactful new concepts of knowledge I’ve learned on this journey came from the book Moonwalking with Einstein when I heard the author say the line, “Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it”.
I immediately thought to myself, “Holy shit, this is exactly why I love learning something new each day with my daughter”. The novelty of discovering new things together each day, sharing our thoughts, and exploring this world makes me feel like Emilia and I will be together forever. Time knows no bounds when we are doing what humans do best and discovering the internal and external world that we exist.
Further exploring this idea takes me way back to the early days of this journey and the book Sapiens which provided the massive AHA at the time that our ancestors literally risked their lives to hop in a boat and sail off into the sunset with no idea of where they were going or what they would find all in hopes of trying to learn something new. I remember thinking to myself at that time, if they could risk everything on the small chance that they could learn something new to bring back to their people, I sure as hell could commit myself to using the vast tools at my fingertips today to do the same. That is when “learn something new each day” was officially added to my core values list that Emilia and I could do together on our mission to Live for 2.
Fast forward to today and finishing The 6th Extinction, and a new wrinkle has been added to the this narrative that I thought it worth exploring further on this journey. That new wrinkle is something the author called, the madness gene.
What is the madness gene? This is our compulsion to explore, learn, question, and discover new things in this world, often times to the detriment of ourselves and the world around us.
Are Human Beings Crazy? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with us? Why can’t we just sit still and be content where we are, with what we know, and what we have in this moment? If we are safe, secure, and have food at the ready, what else do we need?
Why did we feel compelled to leave our ancestorial home in Africa to migrate north, south, east, and west in search of new places to inhabit? Why did we decide to try and eat all the things along the way when we knew damn good and well that some of it would probably kill us? Why did we risk everything we had for something unknown? No other species or life form seems to have this compulsion to novelty and exploration. Why us? Sure, it has helped us to become who we are and take an oversized role in shaping the planet as our populations thrive and explode, but why do we do it?
Here's what I know…I don’t know!
What I do know is that I love it! I can’t wait to explore this world and learn all the things with my partner in crime each day for the rest of my life. That is my happy place and makes time fly by, in a good way, until I get to see her again.
So, maybe we are crazy, but if being crazy means I get to spend every day with the people I love doing stuff that I love as we explore this world together, than count me all the way in.
Here’s to the crazy ones! Never stop exploring!
Question: Why do you think we crave novelty so much?
Links:
What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction
YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon
YOML Bookstore - The 6th Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
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