Evolution – A Defensive System's Perspective

The only constant is change. In the context of living beings, change can be translated to evolution. We all evolve, over time, through changing environment settings. It is an unending process. We all have defensive mechanisms, both biological and psychological ones. They serve us well against outside forces, which are detrimental to our well being. But, such a system is only as good as it has evolved into. Its effectiveness is largely a product of the variety of environs it has been exposed to.

Consider a situation. An outside element enters a body, for the first time. The defensive system has no prior experience with this foreign object. Initially, it suffers. But slowly, it gathers forces and develops arsenal to counter the new threat. Now, the developments can take two courses, the exposure can either be sustained or brief. Let us consider either.

Firstly, if the exposure is brief then the system has limited knowledge and information to develop the requisite defense mechanisms. The information, often inadequate, could lead to insufficient faculties against future attacks. The upside is a narrow period of initial discomfort and sufficient recovery period. In the second case, it would be a prolonged period of discomfort. The system would need to evolve through the information gathered over time to arrive at as best a defensive mechanism as possible. Permanence could be its hallmark.

In real life, this can be related to the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in. Often we pray for the period to get over as soon as possible, and feel that we have developed a strong enough mechanism for similar problems in the future. This, while comfortable in the short run, can lead to prolonged and more severe problems later on. That is, if the cause decides on a revisit. On the other hand, an initial prolonged period of discomfort would enable us to prepare ourselves more thoroughly. It would be much tougher, but this is the only path towards a permanent solution. It is akin to building towards the future. It is important to have patience and belief in one’s resolve. Perhaps the saying, “It is darkest just before dawn” captures the attitude to have.

I encountered a familiar situation recently. Having had a brief exposure to a foreign element a few months ago, followed by a prolonged period of isolation, my system had developed a defensive mechanism. It seemed strong. But, as hindsight shows, it was very fragile. A second exposure exposed its frailties. It wasn’t strong enough. But this time, the element seems here to stay. It promises a much more sustained exposure. Hopefully the time window would be sufficient to build a most lasting system.