Survival Of The FITtest

Over 150 years ago, Charles Darwin developed an evolutionary theory based on a process called natural selection. In short, natural selection is the process in which traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in an organism's population over the course of several generations. Darwin claimed only the fittest organisms on the Earth would continue to evolve and survive over long periods of time. Of course, what he was talking about was an organism's ability to adapt and survive in its competitive ecosystem. Do you think Darwin would ever have guessed a population of the most intelligent life form on the planet might actually think and act itself totally unfit for survival?

Homo sapien erectus-Americus (yes I made that up) is becoming increasingly gluttonous and unfit. Unlike the rest of the animal kingdom and much of the human population, the rate of obesity, metabolic disease and coronary heart disease continues to climb in America. Over 67% of Americans are overweight with another one-third of them weighing in at obese. The number one killer in America is heart disease, followed by cancer, then stroke and rounding out the top five is diabetes. To put things simply, lazy Americans are making lifestyle choices that are killing them. The research is in and four of the top five causes of death in America are strongly linked with lifestyle choices we make on a daily basis. Do you know of any other animal population that will eat itself sick, ingest chemicals and poison for recreation, almost completely neglecting to protect its own valuable life?

Charles Darwin is rolling around in his grave as he watches one of the most fit and evolved organisms actually choose to be unfit for survival! Thanks to modern medicine, technology and economic status (we're in a recession, but we're no where near a third-world country) our survival is a no-brainer. At least it was until we as a country decided to super-size everything including our assess. 24 Hour Fitness came under a lot of scrutiny a few years back when the company made t-shirts and billboards with a picture of aliens that said, "When they come, they will eat the fat ones first". With two-thirds of the country overweight, you can see why there was a lot of uproar and hurt feelings. All sensitivity aside; being sedentary, overweight and overindulgent in food and drink is unfit. This lifestyle undoubtedly points at an organism that is choosing its own extinction in evolutionary theory. I used to think Darwin was just a crazy scientist, but now I'm beginning to think he may have been a personal trainer...

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