January 27, 2010: SeattlePostIntelligencer.com

Redefining Survival of the Fittest

There are many recognizable phrases that describe our common American experience. United we stand. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Land of the free, home of the brave. You might be hard-pressed, however, to find a single phrase that more succinctly describes our American ethos than "survival of the fittest."

That you can reliably find the phrase, or some variation of it, on any online message board where opinions are being exchanged is a testament to its supreme versatility. Think of any contemporary political issue--health care, wall street, taxes, war, education--and it's easy to see where the notion of survival of the fittest could naturally insert itself into the argument.

Though undeniably hard and cold on the surface and typically asserted to argue against helping "the weak," the expression's connotations are not necessarily all negative. At once, the phrase recalls the ruggedness of our colonial settlers and pioneers, the ingenuity of our inventors and entrepreneurs, and the resourcefulness of everyday citizens from family farmers to urban-dwellers.

Survival of the fittest also implies a notion tied intimately to the American dream--that your ultimate place in society is not limited by your past or present circumstances. Opportunities are available to anyone with the determination and will to succeed.

We collectively embrace this creed more wholeheartedly than any other nation on earth because we are a nation of immigrants. Which is to say that all of us can trace our lineages back eventually to someone who embodied the notion of "the fittest" of his or her time--if not the fittest in terms of intellect or riches, then certainly in terms of boldness, resourcefulness, health and ambition.

Despite all this, however, we are guilty of perpetuating a deception upon ourselves in the way we conceive and use the term in modern political discourse, that is having a corrosive effect on the values we are leaving behind to our children. The error is this, that somewhere along the line the notion of survival of the fittest became melded to that of individualism, resulting in a philosophy of "every man for himself"--a concept for which nothing positive can be said.

Now, understand that I am first and foremost an individualist. The freedom to "be oneself" is the feature I cherish most about America. But there is something unhealthy and fundamentally flawed about combining that value with the idea of survival.

As a rule, we do not survive, thrive, rise, or fall on the basis of our individual efforts alone. This is true both in the realm of animals (biological Darwinism) and of people (social Darwinism). Animals are endowed with a genetic heritage that will help or hinder their survival. And as for people, we have parents.

Take my case, for example. Growing up I was never in wont of food, clothing, or shelter (though unbeknownst to me, my father was laid off several times). I attended high school in an affluent suburb, which I hated, but which was securely plugged into an established network of college admissions offices. I was able to afford four years at a prestigious east coast university. Fast forward twenty years later, I find myself in Oregon with a beautiful family, living comfortably (though tenuously at times).

You tell me, whether my "survival" is a result of my personal "fitness," or the blessings bestowed upon me by my hardworking parents. Of course, the real answer is that it is a combination of the two, but those aspects of my being are so intertwined, one can hardly be distinguished from the other.

There are myriad exceptions to the rule. In the animal world, we have genetic mutations. And in our world, we can point to any number of inspiring heroes who have pulled themselves up wholly on the basis of their own personal, inner fortitude. But most of us do not fall into that category.

As much as we would like to take full credit for where we stand in life, the truth is, our survival has always been intimately related to other factors as well such as family upbringing, strokes of luck, and help from others.

In other words, let's unabashedly celebrate the freedom to be ourselves. Let's appreciate the value of competition in bringing out the best in each other and in our economy. And let's also acknowledge that because we ourselves have been helped many times along the way, it's okay to help others