I am reading 'The Mating Mind' by Geoffrey Miller about evolutionary biology and have to admit that my head is spinning a little. Could it be that our ego instinct drives us towards love? Let me try to explain. We have been around for a few hundred thousand years, and you as a reader and me as a writer are the successful ones, i.e. our ancestors have been the ones that got us here, and we are living proof of everything they did best. We carry their genes and have been brought up according to their rules and behaviours.
What makes a woman marry a man and raise children with him? I once asked my wife why exactly she married me and her answer was 'because you are kind'. So men become kind over the generations because women value kindness? And to give us men a little credit too, we value kindness as well; looks will likely get you to the bedroom, but not necessarily to the altar.
Why do our better halves value kindness in the first place. They could value power, ruthless behaviour and strength instead - as long as they have the skills to control the ruthless man, which they probably have too. After all, that is all evolutionary biology needs - the strength and ability to grab the resources to propel your offspring to the next generation. But as we all feel, there is more to a human being than just millions of years of ruthless gene competition.
What a strange concept: somewhere in our hearts, God has installed love and kindness and the selfish gene stumbles over generations to that outcome?!? As always, any comments or insights on this confusing subject would be greatly appreciated.
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