It’s hard to say what how I feel about Darwinism. I don’t really understand a whole lot on the science level. Frankly, I don’t really care to give it that much thought.

Sure, I can see where “Survival of the Fittest” is a great thing for my ego. I want to believe that I did something special to get here. I want to think that I possess some special skills, genetics, or special abilities that other people don’t have to explain why I am alive and others aren’t. Survival of the Fittest sells a lot of tee shirts and buys a bunch of entry fees into difficult races and weekend events because each of us wants to feel like we earned something.

The truth of the matter is that I am lucky to make it out the door with pants on each morning, I lock myself out of the house at least twice a month, I lose my phone seven times per week, I can’t find my keys probably twice a day, I sometimes forget that I’m supposed to bring my kids home with me when I leave their school,  and remembering to carry turn off the oven when I am done cooking something that is supposed to be microwaved or brush my teeth each and every day seems like a lot to ask.

I have never fought a war, won an election, saved a life, or graduated top of my class. I have not experienced living without food, been deprived of a bed, involuntarily been without shelter, or known what it’s like to not have running water. My existence has been climate-controlled, safe, secure, padded, and protected. My emotional, financial, physical, and mental needs have all been met and I do not know what it is like to truly live “without”.

I can beat my chest and pride myself in my ability to “survive” in a world where eventually no one does, or I can pull back my shoulders and boast of my genetic predisposition to having the right skills to live in a world full of danger and uncertainty. I can pay hundreds of dollars to run many miles while swinging from man-made obstacles and jumping over mechanically controlled pits of fire and convincing myself that I am a perfect example of Darwinism at its fines. “I AM THE FITTEST”, I will repeat to myself until my ego thinks that I have said it enough to burn it into my conscience.

However, the truth of the matter is that I am lucky. I am not an example of Darwinism, I am an example of grace.

If there is such a thing as Natural Selection, I am glad that grace has protected me from its pitfalls. If it’s left to the fittest, I will place my strength in faith.

I think it is safest to be faithful, graceful, gracious, and strong.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake