Survival of the fittest
I was 8 or 9, and I remember my teacher teaching us about Charles Darwin and evolution. It is probably the first moment I remember as a kid being absolutely awe-struck by what I had just learnt. It felt like someone had just taught me the meaning of life.
I was so awe-struck by the teaching of Darwin, that I remember picking up the encyclopedia at home and spending hours reading about him. The fact that he captured the essence of his entire theory in one line left a deep impression on me.
Survival of the fittest - Charles Darwin
Those two words sum up a lot about human nature and opportunities. We are either fighting for survival or we are reaching a little higher to rise up in whatever endeavor one might be pursuing. We seldom seek survival and greatness simultaneously.
When you are rock climbing, you clip the quick-draws to bolt before going any higher. You ensure survival and then you go higher.
The second thing about that sentence is the tools, techniques and mindset required for survival are very different from those for being the fittest.
Lastly, the two are mostly opposing forces. You cannot maximize both at the same time. You can win the biggest by betting everything, but it is also how you lose everything.
In investment and business - this plays out in the continuum of fear and greed. Every investment decision is a function of greed > fear.
In life and love - this plays out in the fear - passion continuum. Every greatness achieved in life is when passion > fear.
For important decisions and moments in my life, I usually check myself and ask - what am I aiming for - survival or fittest ? Once I know the answer, I check my tools and mindset to match the game I have decided to play.
Example from investments, when the markets were going down in February 2020 with Coronavirus beginning to take hold, my first instinct was survival - stop the erosion of my money invested in the markets. This was fear and act of survival.
Once I had that under control, I shifted gears and said where can I invest to now maximize returns - this was greed and an act to be the fittest.
Investments are an easy to grasp example. But you can see this play out in all spheres of life.
At the end my only definitive conclusion is, Darwin was a genius.
