People set alarm clocks to avoid being late for work, school, and appointments. They wear certain outfits to attract potential mates and feel good about themselves. They constantly stress over personal finances: bills, loan payments, cost of food, and gas prices.
All of these little things seem routine in the ordinary days of human life but little do people think of how they can actually be traced back to the basic concept of survival. “Survival of the fittest” is a term humans commonly use to explain why some people succeed over others in different aspects of life. But what does it actually mean? What are the origins of the term?
Victorian naturalist Herbert Spencer coined the phrase to help explain natural selection which was the central element of Charles Darwin’s revolutionary theory of evolutionary change (Gale 3922-3923).
Natural selection is the process of differing types of reproduction among organisms, in which those that have certain prominent traits are better suited to life in the current environment (Andrew 1538).
Humans, like all other animals, are constantly adapting to their environments in order to better survive. Thousands of years ago the ancient ancestors were surviving under some pretty tough circumstances but times have drastically changed.
The Essay on Meaning to Human Life
Is there any meaning to human life? After listening to the first two lectures I gathered what ... feel like humans really have no goal but they have a purpose. Love and gratitude define them. Some people say life is a ... and the saint are metaphors that humans have used to search for the meaning of life. With the hero, reality is formed ...
Since then, modern technology has cancelled out the need to live by animalistic means thus giving a whole new meaning to the game of survival. The modern concept of “survival of the fittest” now applies more to categories such as professional sports, entertainment, and relationships.
The purpose behind any physical training is to better one’s self and perhaps become the best at a certain sporting event. In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), fighters train vigorously for months leading up to a bout. Statistically, the fighter with more strength and skill has a better chance of submitting or knocking out their opponent to win.
Sometimes these athletes make the poor mistake of resorting to illegal performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids in order to train harder, recover faster, and ultimately dominate their opponent.
The use of these illegal drugs has been strictly prohibited and monitored in the world of professional sports via urinalysis, blood work, and other medical tests prior to competition. In the eyes of any serious athlete, the survivor of a fight is the one who wins the title. The ultimate goal of victory begins to cloud better judgment and “survival of the fittest” takes control.
It is common for even the most elite of professional competitors to take shortcuts in order to better the chances of obtaining a victory. “UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] lightweight champion Sean Sherk tested positive for Nandrolone Metabolite [an illegal type of performance enhancing drug] following his title defense on July 7th, 2009.
Sherk scored a dominating five-round decision win over Brazilian Hermes Franca whom the California State Athletic Commission also said tested positive for the banned substance Drostanolone” (Gross).
Both fighters jeopardized their careers in a desperate attempt to not only survive but ultimately win that championship title: both went home empty handed.
Humans have always loved to watch competitive sports whether it‘s live action or on television because they have this constant desire to know who‘s the absolute best.
Championships give audiences a winning individual or team to root for but what about the entertainment industry? Film, acting, modeling, advertising, directing, producing: these are all professions that require a certain set of skills in order for one to be successful and survive in the competitive industry.
The Research paper on Negotiation Skills Case Study
Mark is the assistant manager of a book store that is part of a national chain, and it is the week of Thanksgiving. He is one of the store’s six salaried employees, and the others are fulltime or part-time hourly employees. Besides Mark and the general manager, there is Dick, the other assistant manager, who is getting ready to accept a position elsewhere and who has the accumulated time to give ...
However, these different job titles also come with different desired traits. An actor may be physically good looking but lack the social skills to market themselves to agents and casting directors. Other actors completely lack good looks yet they have this natural ability to interact and gain somebody’s attention which gets them the part.
The entertainment industry continuously shows that the ideal traits in human beings are not always of the physical type. Often it is networking and people skills that gets talent through the gauntlet of “survival of the fittest” in Hollywood.
