Evolution is a constant cycle of an organism adjusting their behaviour and genetical blueprint to the current environment in which they dwell. It happens almost unconsciously, as those who fail to do so will be weeded out by natural selection. That is why we should never stop adapting.

In nature there is no room for mistakes nor failure. In evolution there is no coincidences or excess. Every function of an organism is there as a result of necessity and has been achieved through a long period of trial and error. Adaptation is a process of evolving in an alignment with the environment and reacting to the stimulus it produces. Some traits promote more survival and will stick, whereas those not appropriate will fall of the phylogenetic tree.

It doesn’t end there, as some organisms can willingly shape the course of their evolution. That phenomenon is called niche construction, meaning that a species shapes their own environment and adapting to it by making their own terms with it. It cannot be taken too far, but some are quite successful at it. For instance, beaver dams are a perfect example of this, as they directly change their habitus by creating their surroundings according to their own liking. However, once a more powerful forces, such as deforesting lumberjacks, come into play then they’re efforts are of no use as they fail to adapt to the new conditions because of chainsaws are much more effective at dropping trees.

Us humans are in a fortunate yet strange position. We’ve managed to take our niche construction to a point where we’re starting to rise above nature. With the help of technology and our ingenuity we’re beginning to circumvent the loophole of evolution by not having to adapt to our environment but turn it around, making our surroundings adapt to us. We’re the only animal who inhabits all parts of the globe and has exited the Earth’s atmosphere and entered space.

In our current environment, the Earth, man is the creator and curator. Despite our high level of affluence and ability to manipulate nature we’re still subjects to the laws of physics. We might think we’re on top of the food chain but there are far more powerful forces out there that could wipe out our existence. Earthquakes, global warming, pollution, the sun all still have a major impact on us. We’re in a way surpassing natural selection via niche construction but we will never stop adapting completely.

Adaptation to an environment can be partly seen as Maslow’s hierarchy of rising from lower to the higher levels. On Earth man has covered all of the primary physiological needs of food and shelter, which has also lead to new scientific discoveries and innovative technologies. We can now become more creative and advance even further. We’re nearing complete masterhood at our home.

However, now we’re starting to enter the vast space of the cosmos where we have to do it all over again. We have to re-adapt, as our primary concern on the Moon is not to create great pieces of art but to be able to survive first and foremost. Once that happens and we’ve got more comfortable in that novel environment we go through the same cycle ad infinitum. As long as there are new frontiers to conquer we as a species will never stop adapting and exploring new dwellings.

Never stop adapting, thus growing.

This curiosity and discovery has always been a part of our species. Having to constantly adapt to new situations and environments is what has allowed us to develop technology, social co-operation, language, cognition etc. Ingenuity is the result of necessity, to have to find out new solutions to a problem whatever it might be.

It can be said that we thrive in novel circumstances. When faced with a challenge to survive man uses the most complex of mental faculties and tries to overcome the turmoil. Our mind is like a Swiss army knife with numerous amounts of functions which we all have developed over the course of time. To never stop adapting we need to be faced with ever-emerging challenges and difficult situations to keep our thinking sharp. At the same time while we’re using them we’re also improving those mechanisms.

Adaptation promotes flexibility and resourcefulness. Our brain actually never stops growing. The term is called neuroplasticity, meaning that our mental facilities will continue to develop throughout life. Everything we do is shaping our cognition in a certain way. There is no room for accidental functions and excessive intelligence because of the large energy requirements that would ensue. If you’re smart there better be a reason and a necessity for it, otherwise it would be a burden to bear. By learning and adapting we’re increasing our mind in a direct way as it will lead to specific alterations in the neural structure of the brain. As a matter of fact, our neurons fire only to novelty and new experiences. If a stimulus gets redundant then we go through habituation and need something different to adapt to again, in order to feel the excitement of a first try once again.

For some reason humans can adapt more quickly and to a wide array of different conditions. From the Arctic to the equatorial climate, under the sea as well as up in the air. It is in our nature to be able to never stop adapting. It’s almost like an arms-race against evolution which is benefiting us as a species.

Natural selection is not as detrimental for us anymore, we have to adapt less and less. This will lead to stagnation and would prevent us from taking our growth to the next level. We have to create our own novel circumstances and situations to develop our cognitive skills and to never stop adapting.

Luckily, that is what the frontiers of science and technological innovation are doing. It’s funny as it seems that we can’t behave any other way. We need and want to be tested. Whatever the cause might be it’s allowing us to keep moving forward.

Why we must never stop adapting as individuals.

Space travel and exploration are definately a far fetch from the average person here on Earth. At our home we don’t have that difficult circumstances and are well embedded in our utopian comfort.

There are still some challenges we’re facing collectively but individually any hardship can be circumvented thanks to our affluent society. Instead of having to adapt to nature we’re under the nurture of culture. This dichotomy between the two gives us the opportunity to get away with no exertion.

That would be the biggest mistake we could make. Not only would we become more fragile and incapable to handle change but would take away one of the greatest parts of being human. During adaptation we’re growing and working on reaching our truest potential. Paradoxically, it’s the time when we feel most alive, when we’re grinding our teeth and trying to rise above the turmoil of life, as it is incredibly fulfilling.

It is also about becoming a better person and contributing back. Stagnation entails self-preservation, conservation and contraction, to absorb and take, opposed to growth, expansion, emanation and giving.

What to do to never stop adapting.

Ever-emerging challenges will lead to a more fulfilled life. By getting comfortable for too long we would lose the spark in our eyes that gets us out of our bed every morning. It’s difficult but at the same time intrinsically rewarding. The process of adaptation is enjoyable by itself, as it contributes to us becoming better.

If you feel like you’re getting too comfortable in an environment then you’re not really adapting. As things get easier the stimulus gets weaker. As a result the mind begins to slow down its expansion and eventually lose the cutting edge flexibility and ingenuity. For the flame to be kept alive at all times it needs an additional spark that would create something new to get accustomed with.

Whether you’re adapting or stagnating can be easily recognized and felt. If there is nothing in your life to be excited and somewhat scared about then you’re not receiving enough stimulus for growth. By having everything easy we will never reach the critical treshhold of exertion that instigates change. If, however, you’re never completely sure about the outcome of your activities, if not everything is predictable and it’s tough (why you would want it to be tough) most of the time, then we’re going through just enough. What accompanies this is definately anxiety (how to face fear) but at the same time euphoric excitement about feeling alive.

Because our environment doesn’t demand that much adaptation from us anymore we need to do it ourselves (one of the things that is wrong with our modern society). To never stop adapting we need to make our life less comfortable. It’s the deliberate process of deliberately getting more good stress so that we would become titanium by soul and cultivate more mental toughness.

At the same time we ought not have to become neurotic about it and keep pushing ourselves through the dirt all the time. Adaptation also happens through small improvements. Our level of resistance to stimulus depends on our habitual conditioning. It would be unreasonable for someone not adept enough to go for too much stress right away. The foundation is the daily minimum on top of which 1% more effort has to be added.

How I intend to never stop adapting.

For me the necessity of this is vital. As a person I intend to never stop adapting and thus growing. Flexibility, resourcefulness, ingenuity and exertion are all too valuable traits for me to ever slow down. In my opinion life is not about dwelling in comfort and pleasure all of the time, but deriving enjoyment out of being at the frontiers of existence, at the borderlands of expansion and constantly in between. It’s important to respect all ends of the spectrum which include pain and discomfort, leading to more fulfillment. That is why I have to earn my laurels every single day.

Because of that I’m never motionless. My mind is always focused on something, whatever I might be working on or struggling with at any given time. For me my biggest outlet are my creative endeavours which luckily will never allow me to stop. It’s a neverending turmoil and fray. There is always room for improvement and as a person as well as an artist I will never stop growing.

Initially, starting this blog was a challenge as there new things to learn about. One thing lead to another and it got easier. Time to spoke more sticks into my wheel. Out of the blue I decided to write my first book Becoming a Self-Empowered Being. It happened with no preparation whatsoever and it shaped me for the better. It is definately not my last creation as I intend to write another one by the end of this year. Meanwhile I continue to find new avenues to explore such as poetry and making YouTube videos. These new domains force me to train my cognition and creativity allowing me to never stop adapting.

Additionally, I niche construct my own environment in a way that doesn’t allow me to ever become comfortable. Unconsciously we will always gravitate towards pleasure and preservation. However, if our surroundings simply don’t allow us to become motionless then we will never stop adapting, it will happen in of itself. There are simple rules I follow and activities I do.

Daily cold thermogenesis. I take two cold showers a day to not only get uncomfortable but to also teach my body to generate its own heat. It not only promotes health and longevity but also makes me superhuman (Read more about it).

I take two cold showers a day to not only get uncomfortable but to also teach my body to generate its own heat. It not only promotes health and longevity but also makes me superhuman (Read more about it). Intermittent fasting. My eating schedule is divided into a 16-hour fasting and 8-hour feeding window. It’s also another way I teach my body to be more resourceful and also create a lot of time for my creativity to flourish. (A comprehensive guide to IF).

My eating schedule is divided into a 16-hour fasting and 8-hour feeding window. It’s also another way I teach my body to be more resourceful and also create a lot of time for my creativity to flourish. (A comprehensive guide to IF). Physical exercise. This is self-explanatory, as intense training will always be uncomfortable. That is why I am always trying to improve on my body composition and performance. The caveat to this is bodyweight mastery, as it is a lot more difficult to be able to do handstands than it is to lift only weights.

This is self-explanatory, as intense training will always be uncomfortable. That is why I am always trying to improve on my body composition and performance. The caveat to this is bodyweight mastery, as it is a lot more difficult to be able to do handstands than it is to lift only weights. Speed reading. Gathering knowledge and learning forces us to adapt cognitively. Novel information directly changes our neural patterns and by doing it faster we’re training our mind to become quicker. (How to become a better reader)

Gathering knowledge and learning forces us to adapt cognitively. Novel information directly changes our neural patterns and by doing it faster we’re training our mind to become quicker. (How to become a better reader) Daily meditation. The thing with meditation is that it requires a lot of concentration and focus. This is another thing that needs to be trained and mastered (how to do it). Like speed reading it trains our mind in a positive way. We become more mindful of our thoughts and emotions (how to take control of them) leading to a happier life. Constructing our own meditation practice will allow us to never stop adapting, as in being able to control our inner currents of energy.

These are the activities I do to never stop adapting. The importance of doing so cannot be stressed enough. By constantly growing and expanding we become less fragile and actually have a more fulfilled life.

I’ve also made a video about this. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/rfLuDbslE7c