Exploring the Intertwined Paths of Biological and Technological Evolution

Have you heard of the different theories of evolution (by natural selection)? How things became scarce, and the giraffes had to stretch their necks to feed on the leaves that remained at the far top of the trees?

Then there's the theory of survival of the fittest: how animals struggled to survive due to a lack of resources. They said the strong ones survived while the weak ones were eliminated. Strong in the sense that they were able to adapt to the changes in their environment.

These theories were proposed by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and published in 1859, which was several years ago!

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Now let us relate this theory to our modern world. If you look at this theory and our modern world coupled with the inflation rate of the country, you will agree that we are still changing, not heritable characteristics as in biology but economic and technological evolution.

The theory of survival of the fittest is still operating at its maximum: the weaker citizens are eliminated, and the average survives while the few others live.

To survive today's evolution, one must acquire the skills necessary for survival. It could be a digital skill, mechanical, or technical. Whatever skill that is valuable.

There is also the need for adaptation, the ability to adjust to changes—natural or man-made. And from what I've seen, this seems to be the hardest of all. Certain people tend to have a slow response to changes.

This could be seen in the way people accept and adjust to living with technology. There are several examples here; one is the case of businesswomen with electronic transfer. While some have gotten used to it, some are still reluctant about it, like in my area, which is mostly occupied by students. Such people have lost customers, and some have even closed down their mini-stores. I can remember when it all happened, 2022 when we had a cashless policy. Physical money was scarce, while some traders got their POS, some remained adamant. One lady who sells provisions at the end of my street said she would open back when the cashless policy was over. The truth is that when she returned, her colleagues had already taken over her customers, and she didn't still have a POS or an active account to accept mobile transfer. She had to shut down her business.

To have an open mind towards change is very important. It is the first step towards adaptation. I'm certain that is how the plants and animals that underwent evolution several years ago survived.

Government is at the top of the list when it comes to inflicting economic evolution on man. During a conversation with a random person I met at the park a few months ago, he told me government is the cause of all his problems. The commissioner in charge of his community had pulled down all the kiosks and stopped street trading by the express road because of the slow movement caused on the passageway for pedestrians. His small business was one of the many street businesses affected. I felt deeply sorry for him.

Currently, Nigeria is one of the craziest countries anyone can live in. One has to adapt to its craziness to survive. The reason is that the country is undergoing rapid development, with little resources to satisfy its high population. The best action for an average citizen is to pull up his socks and embrace the benefits and challenges that come with evolution. Because the change will not stop, and life will get harder, especially for those who do not understand what is going on. Prices of goods will not return to the way they used to be, nor will house rents or taxes.

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Technological evolution is the work of science on nature and it is becoming more established in today’s world. Many scientific questions are asked and inventions are made. We now have humanoid robots, several of them. This was just an imagination some years ago, and today the invention has taken over thousands of jobs handled by humans, to show us the angle our present world is headed. Don't you think there will be a time when only those with tech skills will be offered a job?

To some extent, I feel this is the right time for everyone to become scientific and embrace technology. It is a trend we must follow to stand out in a few years to come. Biological evolution, economic or technological evolution, none of these should be ignored as they play a major role in our lives and the lives of our unborn generation.