Assimilation by Robin Pond

Author:Robin Pond [Robin Pond]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lost Colony Books
Published: 2022-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

8

Another observation I would like to make concerning most evolutionary changes is that, in retrospect, they always appear to those affected to have been inevitable, as if this is the way things had to be, as though it were part of a greater plan. At first glance, the VIM conversions appear to contradict this fact. They involved choice, a willful acceptance rather than inevitability. The element of perceived choice may be one aspect of this evolutionary change which sets it apart from the more typical process. Most evolution is a matter of chance mutation and therefore less directed than the VIM conversions. Organisms typically don’t choose to evolve; they just do. But I still think, after the fact, even totally random mutations, when successful, will seem like they just had to be. Humans tend to think that the way they are at any given time is the way they are meant to be, even the way they have always been. This is why so many people historically had such difficulty accepting the notion of evolution. It runs counter to our sense of identity. It seems inconceivable for our ancient ancestors to have ever been much different than we are now.

So there is a clear sense of inevitability, after the fact, with regard to any profound change. Once such change becomes established as the norm, there is a firm belief that this is the way things were always meant to be. That’s how it was with my family’s evolution. Each change was quickly adopted as a new norm. It had to be, for once the choice was made, there was no alternative. Once it was done, it had to be accepted, even embraced, for there was clearly no way to undo it.

Late afternoon the day after Scott’s conversion, I was again doing some homework at the dining room table and my grandmother was, of course, again sitting in her armchair watching television, when Scott came downstairs from his room and walked straight up to me. “Hi sister.”

“Hey Scott,” I responded without looking up from my notes, “not hanging out with Kawkonga?”

“No. She has other matters to attend to. You are not spending time with Gargong?”

“No. I’m trying to take it slow with him, to temper his expectations. And I figure every now and then I ought to try to do some of the work on my own, just to see if I really can.”

Scott stood beside me like a sentry. “So how is that going?”

I abruptly tossed my pencil down on the table. “Not great. I’ve been trying to tackle some math. But without Gargong’s help I seem to be going around in circles.”

Scott leaned over and pointed at my book, at the question I had just been wrestling with. “That one is simple. Just take the derivative of that function, then determine where the slope of the tangent is equal to seven, then use the quadratic formula to solve it.”

Shocked, I stared up at Scott. “Since when do you…?” My voice trailed off as the obvious realization slowly trickled into my brain.

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