I spent most of last week in a retreat and staying in the little cabin on our property. It was a wonderful time. Even though it was foggy and gray the whole time, it wasn't too cold and the fire in the cabin really heats it up. One day I was sitting and looking at the door when I saw three birds: a Red-shafted Flicker , an American Robin, and a Varied Thrush. They were within a few feet of each other looking for similar types of food. That same day I was reading a book by the Dalai Lama: The Universe in a Single Atom It is about his interest in and work with the Western scientific community and his views on science and spirituality.
In one of the chapters he writes about Darwin, natural selection and survival of the fittest. His point is that there is more cooperation than there is competition. Even in my research around the brain, the conclusion is that trauma, violence, and conflict are the anomalies. There is so much cooperation and nurture, that we fail to see it. The conflict is so rare that it stands out because it is such a "threat" to our survival.
The three birds could easily work side-side because there are plenty of insects and worms. They weren't having to compete for their food. I wonder if survival of the fittest is more appropriate when you put it into the context of limited resources? I've often wondered if there are too many people on the planet for the amount of resources that we have. People say there is enough food to feed everyone, just that it isn't distributed equitably. But there are many other types of resources to attend to: metals, water, clean air...
A bunch of rambling tonight.
May you find all the resources that you need.
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