Punctuated Equilibrium

Punctuated equilibrium –this is the theory that natural selection (and consequently, speciation) doesn’t actually occur as a gradual, constant process over the course of millennia. Rather, evolution happens when periods of scarcity necessitate big changes in rapid bursts. When this term came up in a recent discussion about evolutionary biology, I thought of how the concept applies in a more abstract way to individual lives. Most of my own life has been about going through the motions. When my life is routine, I can coast through days, weeks, and months without looking back or forward very much. But when change happens, it’s big and it happens fast. Going to high school, going to college, graduating from college, becoming independent – even though these major events are planned and calculated, they denote a shift in lifestyle, and for many of us that’s accompanied by reinventing ourselves. I don’t completely expect to emerge from my time in Vietnam as a different, better version of myself, but it seems it would be a waste if I don’t grow at all as a person. Aside from the mid-twenties identity crisis, I have other motives – I want to have fun, I want to meet people, I want to prove that I’m not a kid anymore, I want to make the most of being young and debt-free. Hopefully there are other reasons for doing this that aren’t quite as self-serving, but I’d be lying if I said I know what they are. Anyways, my flight’s about to board. Gotta be present for that moment.