Evolution

“Hi, dad! Tell me, please, something about the evolution!”

“Of evolution? You mean that something, which is the engine of progress?”

“Dad, mind you! It’s the science which is now sort of an engine of that evolution, and evolution is something… that was before us. We are supposed to live here for quite a while, millions of years, if they don’t lie to us in schools. Sort of evolving here, apparently.”

“Right you are, son, we have almost evolved up to a threat of mutual mass destruction already. Or progressed. So… what exactly did you want to learn of that, what’s the name, evolution?”

“Just a couple of questions, dad. Because when I started asking them our teacher, she stared at me so spitefully that I have almost lost my tongue during that moment. And, well, gave birth to a bad mark, so that I stop asking silly questions henceforth. She said that it’s anti-scientifically.”

“Well, sonny, at present everything, not fitting itself into such inconsistent scientific picture of the world, is called anti-scientific. That’s the exact reason why we are, e-r-m, have been so promptly scientifically and progressively evolving, that’s it…”

“Well, dad. Today at a lesson of biology the teacher was telling us that I as well as you and all-all people of the world have progressed from a monkey, and at first life was born in the ocean and after that moved to a land, and that all animals have been evolving for a long long time, periodically falling in mutations for a better effect and, well, finally mutated up to their current state, or so they say. That the first-living organisms have arisen from the ocean…”

“From the ocean, but not that one of which they are presently thinking. Mutations, you say?”

“Yep, father, mutations! Terrible force, that’s it, the engine of the evolution… Listen, explain please at first to me how that did happen, that fishes have crept out onto a coast of the ocean, aye? Have they grown feet themselves or what? And why not wings at once – that would be so much more convenient that way, right? I feel it with my bones!”

“Well, wings had no chance to appear there, they couldn’t be grown from fins, right? And feet… feet have grown, gradually. Hundred thousands of years have been passing; extremities have been gradually growing and have finally grown, at last. A gradual evolutionary process, or sort of. Most likely.”

“Wait, dad! Fishes do not live for millions of years. How did they even manage to grow these extremities gradually? Once jumped on the coast in mass quantities, looked around themselves with grin smiles, noticed how great it would be to live on the land instead of water and decided to grow themselves feet, to be able to run once, or started to grow back their fins to be able to creep at least? And then they surely jumped back from the coast into the ocean and told to the rest of their cowardly comrades of that marvelous new world, lying around their feet… fins?”

“Those born to creep will never swim. Well, perhaps, these were some special, most courageous fishes. They have jumped all over the coast and safely jumped back to the sea, have kept these images and actions in their genetic memory, and all the rest of generations could take advantage on this newly-acquired knowledge. Probably, well, these were one of a kind heroic fishes. Trailblazers, if it’s possible to say so.”

“Silly ones of some sort… Wasn’t an entire ocean enough for them? Listen… and how’s that – in genetic memory? Did new generations of fishes devour, to say so, their dead ancestors and were instantly “enlightened” with this new knowledge?”

“Well, dunno know. Probably, there still was some mechanism of transfer of the new information between representatives of one kind of live beings. Probably, it still exists.”

“Well, and how did they manage to grow their feet “gradually”, aye? At first a half of foot has grown, fish has noticed that it’s, surely, a good sign, but does not allow one to jump or at least creep on the ground, and gills still disturbed her, and, well, transferred into the future her “message” to the descendants to be engaged in self-improvement from the very birth… I mean while still being caviar?”

“Probably, afterward they began to be born as such, with fins-feet. So that it would be easier for them to walk on the ground.”

“And how did they manage to swim in that case? Or did they specifically forget how to swim for the sake of creeping?”

“Well, I have no idea, sonny. But that’s what the official evolutionary theory of live organisms is stating… and who are we to reject it completely?”

“Yeah, my teacher in school told me almost the same way! To tell the truth, I asked her the next question after that… so well, let’s say they have even somehow managed to affirm themselves on the land… but why not all of them? After all, if it’s so nice living on the ground under the sun, why then the part of these most different sea organisms hasn’t even dared to go hand-in-hand with colleagues? Has the genetic memory of some of them suddenly died off and mass amnesia took place or were they so coward that had not even a slightest desire to follow their “big brothers”?”

“Probably, sonny, there was no more need for any more of them to leave the ocean – there were enough of those who have already performed that act.”

“Yeah, sure, and overland creatures have, of course, transferred the “message” to their sea colleagues – hey, stop your crawling outside of water, morons, there is no more place for the rest of you under the sun.”

“Yeah, I do agree, that sounds quite silly. But followers of Darwin have not thought up anything other up to now.”

“I still don’t understand much, dad! Take, for example, the following aspect – how did these overland beings then manage to grow themselves wings? Gradually, plumelet after a plumelet and bone after a bone? They, probably, at first tried to jump and jump from the ground – and have finally jumped to a state when they could fly up and soar, yeah?”

“Well, some sort of mutations can happen there from time to time. It was that way and then – voila! – an entire new wing has grown all of a sudden due to change of genes under the influence of external factors of the environment.”

“Dad… do you even believe that yourself, huh? What’s that – external factors? Is that when someone scary pursues you, wanting to gobble up, and suddenly wings are born from fear instead of former feet? Or did a radiating infection took place there a very long time ago, or the sun suddenly started to shine somewhat special? And, hey, dad, don’t you think that if the level of mutations is so low, it resembles more a sorting-out process, instead of an evolutionary one? As if someone made an experiment on a group of animals, tried something, it hasn’t turned out, and they ceased to continue in that direction? And, besides, there are some unusual animals… penguins, for instance, duck-bills – did they over-mutated?”

“Well, mutations is a terrible force, indeed. Not even amnesia, but even death can occur after these mutations… gradually, that’s it. It turns out that we are all mutants of some kind for now to a certain degree.”

“Dad, explain to me one more thing… Why are these – how are they called? – mammals, are considered more evolutionary and “advanced” in their development, to say so, than all fishes, amphibious, bacteria, viruses? After all, even named viruses can destroy these mammals in no time! Who even dared to define which “kingdom” of animals came from which one, aye? After all, they have still coexisted together… Are they to be considered an unfinished, “stuck” branch of evolution then?”

“It turns out to be that way. But who actually knows? Possibly, we along with monkeys are the evolutionary vanguard of this world? And the rest of animals do promptly catch up with us, hurry, enviously looking in our eyes as if saying, “We wanna be like you are, teach us, kind ones!”

“It turns out to be a planet of monkeys, dad! Well, we were told even that way that a man came out from a monkey, which was improved by hard work, being given elements of true human-like reason… Some such. Yet there is one thing which I still cannot comprehend – why do modern monkey like the one we observed yesterday in a zoo not turn in us, huh? After all, for how many millions of years has a man been living along with them – to a zero effect. And no work helps them… As if they all missing something vital to finally turn into a man.”

“Well, on the other hand, sonny, that should be considered an advantage, I guess. Just imagine what could happen if some sort of monkey was presented with a small suitcase with buttons to manage ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads? We had no chance to speak even of a planet of monkeys that way!”

“Yep, father, that’s right. From time to time I have a sensation that it was not monkeys who have ascended to men, but some men descended downwards to monkeys – with no way back. Sort of a point of no return.”

“Well, that would be an involution that way, son. And we are supposed to be talking only of evolution, right? Of all these strange scientific theories, containing one thousand and one contradiction…”

“Alla Zinaidovna would surely reward you with a lowest possible mark for these heretical thoughts with no delay! And would probably add that you have very little intellectually evolved.”

“Well, I am no more afraid of such turn of events, sonny. I have already, so to say, tormented and washed in this educational system – and now have to make sure that no other man will do the same with no thoughts and questions of their own. And after all, you know, I would not refuse to gain wings like these “lesser” birds. It’s somewhat much more convenient to live with wings, you know…”

“Flying everywhere, hitting nobody, right? And all the sky is ours?”

“And don’t you forget of the clouds! You know, I have just been thinking that… maybe… maybe all this magnificent nature variety, among which we are living, is truly being projected and implemented by someone… someone incredibly powerful and still invisible and imperceptible for many men? How do you think, oh my young biologist?”

“Everything is possible, father!”