The Extreme Positions Of The Crossfire Syndrome

Considering That We Live In An Era Of Evolutionary Everything---evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Medicine, Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Psychology, Evolutionary Economics, Evolutionary Computing---it Was Surprising How Rarely People Thought In Evolutionary Terms. It Was A Human Blind Spot. We Look At The World Around Us As A Snapshot When It Was Really A Movie, Constantly Changing.

The Experience Of Climbing Kilimanjaro Affected Me So Powerfully That, For A Long Time Afterward, If I Caught Myself Saying, "i'm Not A Person Who Likes To Do That Activity, Eat That Food, Listen To That Music," I Would Automatically Go Out And Do What I Imagined I Didn't Like. Generally I Found I Was Wrong About Myself - I Liked What I Thought I Wouldn't Like. And Even If I Didn't Like The Particular Experience, I Learned I Liked Having New Experiences.

People Were So Naive About Plants, Ellie Thought. They Just Chose Plants For Appearance, As They Would Choose A Picture For The Wall. It Never Occurred To Them That Plants Were Actually Living Things, Busily Performing All The Living Functions Of Respiration, Ingestion, Excretion, Reproduction---and Defense.

The Best Doctors Found A Middle Position Where They Were Neither Overwhelmed By Their Feelings Nor Estranged From Them. That Was The Most Difficult Position Of All, And The Precise Balance - Neither Too Detached Nor Too Caring - Was Something Few Learned.

Scientific Research Was Much Like Prospecting: You Went Out And You Hunted, Armed With Your Maps And Instruments, But In The Ened Your Preparations Did Not Matter, Or Even Your Intuition. You Needed Your Luck, And Whatever Benefits Accrued To The Diligent, Through Sheer, Grinding Hard Work.