Life on Earth…

“O earth, what changes hast thou seen!”

-Tennyson (Lyric CXXIII in Bump 252).

I’ve see that quote numerous times as I’ve enter the Hogg Building to visit the Plan II office and always wonder what it means. At first, I didn’t give much thought into it. At a quick glance, one could say it is saying that there is much change going on in the earth. However, after careful consideration, I believe, in context to the rest of the Lyric, that Tennyson is conveying a constant changing of ideas though his metaphor of the changing landscape on Earth. The Earth has been around for ages, and though the landscape has changed, it is still the same Earth. It is interesting that this quote is inscribed on the building that was once a mental ward. Did the architect of the building hint at perhaps a natural selection of humans where the mentally ill were the weaker kin?

Evolution in literature is quite fascinating, and this debate between creationist and evolutionist is very engaging. Visiting the Texas Memorial Museum was quite telling because we were able to see the bones of creatures that walked the earth millions and millions of years before humans ever existed. Seeing the skeleton of the large creature who lived in Texas some 65 million years ago was shocking. I am not too familiar with creationism, however, this idea of intelligent design by a higher being, for me, is a bit hard to grasp. I echo Megan S.’s comments about how she finds it hard to accept the arguments that Studebaker bring up against.

The debate, in literature, between evolution and creationism boils down to what we teach our students. I feel that we should teach both ideas in the classroom. In biology, I feel we should learn about evolution and the survival of the fittest and contrast it to the idea of intelligent design. In a science class, we should teach our students science. On the flip side, I feel that students should also be exposed to creationism. Perhaps in a religious studies class or in a humanities class, students should learn about different viewpoints on human life. Because that class is a humanities class, it should contrast the ideas taught in the biology class. Thus, teaching both allows for students, who are rational beings, to make their own rational choices. This idea is mentioned in the article “Doubting Darwin” in The Week.

I feel that understanding both sides of the debate is important to educating students about the notion that some things are still just unexplainable. Both sides have their own flaws and obviously, supports of each side have their own biases. From a literary aspect, we can see Tennyson’s debate between the two sides in poem 56: “Who trusted God was love indeed/ And love Creation’s final law— / Though Nature, red in tooth and claw/ With ravine, shrieked against his creed—“ (Tennyson 56: 13-16, in Bump 251). He hints at the notion of Creationism and the love of God supporting that, and he also hints at nature’s viewpoint, shrieking against God’s creed.

I personally, have not yet decided my viewpoint on the existence of humans. Like Megan, I lean more towards science because that is more tangible, I still ponder the purpose of live some times. Studebaker comments that “Christians believe that God exists. And though they know they cannot prove God’s existence to anyone, they can show some reasonable evidence as to why they believe this is true” (Studebaker in Bump 262). Thus, religion is called “faith” for a reason. There is no proof a higher being exists, and at some point, you just have to believe. This faith often gives people comfort and reassurance of a purpose of life. In science, we find that evolution states that our existence is by chance, and that concept is something that many people cannot accept. The idea that our existence, with all our technology and advances in thought, is because of change is scary.

However, I feel that this debate is futile. I’m not trying to prove to anyone that God does or does not exist or that we humans did or did not evolve. I believe what I believe and others have their own opinions. What we must note is that this debate can be found in literature and affects writing. It will be interesting to see how the debate between evolutionist and creationists pans out in the future. As space technology improves and we investigate the universe around us, I feel that we will one day discover life elsewhere. When that day comes, I wonder how creationist will respond and how humans in general will react to such discovery. Only time will tell.