EVOLUTION AND SPIRITUALITY

 Someone wondered on FB whether evolution "exists".  Evolution is not a thing. Although it happens, or seems to, it is not an event.  "Evolution" is a way of explaining the relationships between living organisms.  Evolution says that living organisms have common characteristics because they originated in common previous organisms.  Evolution also says that modern organisms differ and have varied characteristics because they evolved to occupy different opportunities in the environment.  And these characteristics changed as the environment changed.  Evolution is a statement about the relationship of living things over time and space.  Though many of the characteristics of the relationship can be readily observed today, as Darwin described in the 19th century,  they cannot be proven in any simple way.  The current relationship between current  and future organisms is controlled by genetic processes,  which can be observed,  manipulated to produce new organisms,  and complex statistical formulas (Fisher's equation) exist to predict how populations of organisms modify over time.

Evolutionary theory is based on the assumption that genetic variation guides the development of new organisms,  and improved adaptation selects some and discards the others (who die without reproducing).  Dunbar proposed the "social brain hypothesis" to suggest that the ability to function in social groups is an evolutionary trait,  which is determined by specific features of the brains of social organisms.  This is one of several hypotheses about how selection influences the brain.  All of them depend on genetic variation and environmental selection.  Knowledge, experience, or culture cannot play a role in this theory of evolution because none of these change the  organism's genes.  

This is troubling and puzzling.  If all of human culture plays no role in evolution,  why do humans maintain a strong effort to preserve it?  Evolutionary biologists have begun developing an extension of the theory,  Dual Inheritance Theory, to include cultural aspects of evolution.  In this concept of the process,  genetic and cultural factors combine to modify the future characteristics of humans.  How does this happen?

The brain is the place where genes and culture interact.  Although most animals' behaviors are readily predicted by genetic features,  this weakens as learning becomes more important in the species.  With the expansion of the human cerebral cortex,  learning and experience expands to strongly regulate and overpower instinctual responses.   This is variable in humans,  and instinctual behaviors are observed more often at some times than others.  The ability to overcome impulses to reproduction (sexuality),  or decreased food consumption,  or kill other humans while not being threatened by them, are all examples of non-instinctual behavior (often incorrectly assumed to be "animal").  The human brain is capable of over-riding patterns of instinctual behavior, but it is unclear when this process promotes evolution and when it interferes.  This is not a theoretical issue!

Human reproduction overpowers the capacity of regions to support the number of persons born.  Human consumption produces pollution that interferes with the capacity to live in the environment.  Human activities may be altering the climate of the planet,  making it inhabitable.  These are all failures to respond to the natural evolutionary controls of populations. Is there anything to do about this?

There is an alternative process which uses the cognitive capacities of the human brain to address life problems.  Recognizing problems and attempting to solve them is a human capacity partly evolutionary, and partly cultural.  Some problems are complex and extend over longer time intervals, making them difficult to solve in simple terms.  The ability to be aware of the broader impact of human actions and its relationship to the natural world requires a special awareness.  We call that awareness spirituality, or spiritual insight.  It is a way of understanding life as a total situation,  not compartmentalized into specific elements.  It is what Buddhism calls interdependent origination.   

Throughout history humans have faced challenges to survival not readily solved by the slower evolutionary processes,  and utilized spiritual awareness to solve them.  Persons skilled at this are leaders,  the originators of religions,  which codify the solutions,  and maintain them,  even when circumstances change and the solutions are no longer applicable.  Some religions are better than others at modifying to adapt to change,  but all religions represent previous solutions to challenges,  which are not likely to address current or future challenges.  There is no eternal truth.  There is only the solution to survival of the challenge in the current moment.  There is only the evolutionary tao to discern and follow. 

GETTING OLD: DEALING WITH CHANGE

There are many unpleasant things about getting old.  Perhaps the least obvious and most difficult to understand is dealing with change.

Life is always changing.  The things you did ten years ago are no longer in fashion.  The ideas about politics or the economy or whatever have changed,  and you are no longer leading a charge into the future.  Or your views, which haven't changed, are now radical and ARE the direction to which people are heading.  

The world is changing.  There are new countries,  new problems,  changing alliances,  new literature,  new art, new culture, new values,  and new problems.  One group of people is in favor of the changes,  whatever they are, and want to press further.  And another group views all these changes as a breakdown in basic values, and wants to stop the changes, and go back to the way things were.  Must I choose which group to join:  am I part of the new group for change?  or am I trying to maintain tradition and the old values?  

The reality is that I cannot be either one.  The world is changing, and I am part of the flow, and my ideas and thoughts are being molded by this process, even when I think I  manage them independently, and decide what to think for myself.  Getting old gives you a perspective that helps to clarify this.  In my 20s, I thought I understood the world, and how I wanted to participate with it.  In my 30s, this changed because the world was changing and I did not have the same opportunities.  In my 40s, what mattered was how the economy (of the world) influenced my family.  

As the decades passed,  I found that views that seemed important and real to me were fantasies.  J. Edgar Hoover wasn't saving the US from Communism, he was distracting us from organized crime to protect their threat to expose his gender issues.  JFK wasn't a guiding light for a new age,  but a drug addled and confused man who made decisions that looked "progressive" but were reactions to his political situation, like going into Vietnam. The Vietnam war was 20 years of disruption in the US and south Asia for no purpose.  The influence of the Chinese remains, which was first recognized by Kissinger.  Reagan is a hero to Republicans and the rich, but dismantled much of the security of the country, under the direction of others, because he was demented for much of his terms. He, along with Bush took credit for "defeating" Communism,  because the US intelligence  sources (run by Bush) had little understanding that the Russia had already fallen apart from within; it had nothing to do with the US.  President Clinton offered the return to an idealistic view of the country with social support, equality, and fairness.  Instead, he gave us sexual escapades including Epstein's misdeeds, higher incarceration of minorities, and dismantling of the protections of the economy for onshore production, and banking safety.  

I am forced to accept how limited my understanding was of issues at the time, and how little was shared by sources of information in a "democratic" country.  IF I HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING IN LIVING THROUGH THESE YEARS, IT IS "WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET". YOU WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THE SURROUNDING CULTURE IN WAYS THAT GIVE THE ILLUSION OF MAKING DECISIONS, WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION.  (And often leaders will not have the information either.)

I sit with other elders, and hear that things are "falling apart",  "there are no values anymore",  and other criticism of the changes the country is going through.  None of this is new.  The country has always been poorly organized,  its values have been manipulated throughout its history,  and changes have occurred,  and been resisted,  and sometimes benefited, and other times were useless.  I have lost the confidence that I am informed, and trust the basis for my decisions.  I look back on the decisions I, and others, made and see that they were not based on good information.  

I have two choices: I can learn from this and realize that I am being misled right now, and must be more careful and humble about what I think I know.  OR I can become fixed and rigid in my understanding of the world as I knew it, and criticize the changes that are going on, (become an old curmudgeon).  The first seems like the best idea, so I wonder why I and so many others so often choose the second.

 

Oil wars.

If you have seen VICE,  you know that Dick Cheney is portrayed as a sincere ambitious man who decided to become President as Vice-President.  What isn't conveyed is how this semi-retired oil executive somehow got selected to be the "power behind the throne" in the administration.  Literally.  To make sense of that,  it helps to remember that Cheney retired from being CEO and Chairman of the board of  the Halliburton company the day he became Bush's campaign manager.   Halliburton was and is a major oil production services company (not an oil processing and selling company) with subsidiary businesses that manage outsourced military services. During the Second Gulf War,  many soldiers going into battle carried signs saying "Cheney-Halliburton" to indicate their belief that the war was about oil interests,  not national security.  The eventual outcome did not serve either interest.  There were no weapons of mass destruction discovered to disarm,  the oil fields did not come under US control,  and Iraq was overwhelmed in a mishandled rebuilding which led to a chaotic transition that is only now improving.  Although it was noted at the time that oil interests were a major motivation,  this was not emphasized in most media,  or that Cheney was likely designated by the oil industry to lead the charge.  (Unexplained are how he went from Secretary of Defense under George Bush, to CEO and Chairman of the Board of a major oil services company, and how he transitioned back into government seemingly without any outside influence.)

Cheney is important only to show how powerful the interests of oil companies are in American politics, and have been for decades,  perhaps as far back as the Teapot Dome.  This influence impacts American policy in the Middle East,  in Venezuela and South America,  and of course in Texas and Louisiana.  These states get the publicity brunt of being the major oil promoters,  but in reality major refineries exist on the east coast,  and California is still a producer of roughly 1/3rd of US oil,  although it takes the stance of being pro-environment as a state. (California is famous as the place where public transportation in Los Angeles was destroyed to promote automobiles and consume gasoline,  only to lead to toxic pollution in the city in the 70s-80s.)  

Much of the power and dominance of the US is due to its endowment of fossil fuels.  Coal,  oil, and natural gas are widely distributed and have provided the source for generating electric power,  along with fuel for railroads, automobiles, public transportation, and industry.  China,  relatively lacking in sources,  is struggling to maintain its productivity.  Europe has needed supplementary sources since the end of WWI, and fossil fuels are expensive there.  Which leads to Russia,  and its determination to be a major oil producer,  first from Georgian fields,  then discovering oil in the Black Sea area,  and now trying to annex oil from the discoveries in the Ukraine.  

So the world is faced with yet another war of exploitation when one nation attempts to annex control of another nation's oil resources.  It is ironic how outraged the US is about Russian aggression, so soon after its own previous aggression.  Maybe US producers want access to the Ukraine field development themselves.  That is the nature of politics and life:  Countries behave like greedy children who don't want to share and want someone else's toys and resources.  It is hard to see how this way of dealing with each other will change after thousands of years.

It is also ironic that this war is taking place when it is becoming clear that the environment of the earth is warming,  and that atmospheric effects of CO2 and other fossil fuel exhausts is contributing to, or actually the cause for, this major change in climate.  One might expect a world wide agreement to manage the use of fossil fuels,  but instead we have the Paris Accord and other efforts in which the regions with less resources support the agreements,  while the regions with more do not,  hoping to capitalize on their advantage.

Everyone who is reasonably informed knows this.  Yet it doesn't change.  The oil from Russia is embargoed and the oil companies raise prices before the older oil is out of the gas station pumps.  But then raising prices is good:  it lowers use and protects the environment a little.  Crazy.

SOME COMMENTS ON COVID AND LONG HAUL SYMPTOMS

 THE FOLLOWING LONG POST WAS CREATED FROM RECENT REFERENCES TO EXPLORE THE CURRENT INFORMATION ON LONG HAUL SYMPTOMS OF COVID

IT IS ACCURATE TO THE LIMITS OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE.

A viral organism
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread around the world starting in 2019 causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

This virus enters people mostly through the respiratory tract and then can spread to other organs by blood or lymphatic system.
Evidence suggests that it involves the olfactory (smell) sensors in the nose and may spread to the brain through this route.

The initial infection can be lethal in a varying percentage of those infected, depending on age,  etc.  Some persons require hospitalization and ICU care.  The majority of infections do not require hospitalization and do not kill the person infected.

Although there are mathematical models in epidemiology for estimating the distribution infection rates, etc. for epidemics,  each infectious agent has different properties,  so each requires a new build of the model,  based on previous experiences.  This has turned out to be especially difficult with covid 19 because of many unique features.  

Complicating the management of this disorder is the political and economic situation.  The 1918 Influenza epidemic arrived in a world that was decimated by war,  relatively less concentrated in cities,  and less dependent on social grouping for economic stability.  The country and world of covid 19 had a major economic impact on its social business,  and this was the center of major political conflict between those who wanted to ignore or minimize the economic impact and those who wanted to minimize the cost in human lives.  There is no epidemiological model for that conflict.
The hope that the development of vaccines would provide a dramatic solution has been undermined by the virus’ ability to mutate into variants which are not as responsive to current vaccines.  At a time when national unity might have provided guidance to minimize the impact of the disease,  national disunity has interfered with effective strategies for control and containment.

THE INFECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INFECTION ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS CREATED A POPULATION OF INFECTED PERSONS.  

THIS HAS NOT CREATED A POST INFECTION POPULATION OF ENTIRELY HEALTHY AND RECOVERED INDIVIDUALS.
After infection between 30% and 80%, depending on studies, of those infected will have
Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection “Long COVID”
The residual symptoms include
FATIGUE
POST EXERTION MALAISE
SHORTNESS OF BREATH ON EXERCISE  
COUGH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS
MYOCARDITIS
CIRCULATION  PROBLEMS  
BLOOD COAGULATION INJURY
NEUROLOGIC  AND MENTAL SYMPTOMS
COGNITIVE DECLINE  especially after episode
“BRAIN FOG”
OLFACTORY SMELL SYMPTOMS  
HYPOTHALAMUS  PITUITARY SYMPTOMS
    MENSTRAL CYCLES
SLEEP PROBLEMS
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS CHANGES OF GUT BACTERIA
JOINT INFLAMMATION
FIBROMYALGIA
PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
SKELETAL MUSCLE INJURY
TOES: CIRCULATION PROBLEMS  PERNIO  

TYPE 1 DM IN CHILDREN occurs soon after infection in an increased number

These symptoms occur in various combinations in persons who have had covid 19 infection in previous months.  Population studies confirm that these are not worsening of previous illness but new problems.  Several theories have emerged for the causes of the “long haul” symptoms, with some supporting data. One or more of them are responsible for producing illness in those with “long haul” symptoms.  Different “long haulers” will likely have different patterns depending on the active factors.

VACCINE FACTOR: There is a rare but definite instance of myocarditis, and peripheral nerve reaction in persons who have been vaccinated against covid one or more times.  These individuals are not included in studies of “long haul”,  but persons vaccinated are included.  Some studies show that vaccination does not protect against “long haul” symptoms,  suggesting that an immune response is a factor in these cases.

COVID 19 infection sets off a moderate to severe immune system reaction.  With proinflamatory cytokines, changes in coagulation in some persons,  and antibody production against the virus.  MRNA Vaccines are designed to produce trigger antigens that will stimulate the immune system,  in advance of infection.  Their value in persons already infected and recovering is hypothetically protection against variants.

Several theories explain the continuing symptoms.
A)NEW INFECTIONS Covid 19 invades cells with multiple viruses and can genetically modify when reproducing to produce variant types.  Most of these will not be significant,  but occasional variants are infectious, cause symptoms, and are not destroyed by current immune protection,  which causes a new bout of disease,  often milder.

B)RESIDUAL VIRUS There is evidence of continued presence of covid virus in tissues after acute symptoms are over.  This is seen in many viruses,  herpes (which causes shingles later),  coxsackie virus, etc.  When these virus particles are released they may trigger new immune reactions,  or other symptoms related to the damage caused.
The idea that lingering virus might be a Long Covid culprit solidified for Proal in late 2021, thanks in part to an autopsy study that captured her attention. Researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health described in a preprint their analysis of tissues from 44 people who had been infected. Most had died from COVID-19 but five had mild or even asymptomatic infection and had succumbed to something else. All 44 still harbored viral RNA in their body, including in the brain, muscle, gut, and lungs. Many organs also had evidence of replicating virus.A key question is whether lingering virus is driving illness in Long Covid patients.  scrutinize the activity of immune cells that populate the region. Are these cells in a heightened state of alert, for example, suggesting the viral particles are setting them off?

C)PERSISTING IMMUNE RESPONSE EFFECTS  The immune system is highly activated in some patients.

One idea, Phetsouphanh says, is that in some COVID-19 patients an immune system revved up and destabilized by the coronavirus attack may be unable to reset itself to idle.
To test that, he and colleagues gathered blood from 31 Long Covid patients, who all had fatigue or other characteristic symptoms at least 3 months after infection, and analyzed dozens of immune markers. The result was striking. Essentially, Long Covid patients had an immune system in constant high alert, the team reported in January in Nature Immunology. White blood cells that typically recruit other cells to sites of infection were highly activated, which may explain why the patients’ levels of interferons, proteins the body makes to fight invaders, were sky high 8 months after infection. The participants also had a dearth of inactivated T cells and B cells, a population of cells that normally putters about awaiting instruction to counter pathogens. Collectively this signaled chronic inflammation, which can cause a host of health problems.  Phetsouphanh and his colleagues also found these immune signatures were unique to their Long Covid cohort: They didn’t appear in people who’d had the virus but recovered, or in those who’d been infected with different coronaviruses.
These effects may be responsible for peripheral nerve damage,  muscle damage and inflammation (fibromyalgia syndrome), reported vagal nerve symptoms,  and other signs of continuing inflammation.
D) COAGULATION RESPONSE.  The immune response often is associated with inflammation, and coagulation effects.  Patients with severe lung symptoms often show this damage.  It may also occur in persisting milder form
These effects may be responsible for continuing lung damage and problems breathing,  for micro-infarcts of brain and mental confusion,  and other vascular symptoms.

E) CHANGES IN MICROBIOTICS (GUT FLORA).  These have been reported in some studies and this or the vagal nerve changes may be associated with recurring GI symptoms.

F) OLFACTORY NERVE DAMAGE AND BRAIN INVASION There is evidence that the nasal infection damages tissue of the olfactory (smell) system causing loss of smell which may be intermittent,  and long lasting.  There is some evidence of invasion into the lower regions of brain, hypothalamus, etc. by this route that may cause sleep, mood, and pituitary problems.  These changes may be associated with inflammation.  The timing is unclear.

G) PANCREAS DAMAGE  There is a definite increased incidence in pacreatic islet cells with onset of Type 1 DM occurring with covid 19 in children 30-60 days after infection.  These changes are permanent.

BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, A STRATEGY IS EMERGING FOR TREATMENT OF LONG HAUL SYMPTOMS.

IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES, THE TREATMENT OF THIS CONDITION USES INSULIN IN CURRENT PROCEDURES.
USE OF PROBIOTICS MAY BE HELPFUL IN TREATING GUT FLORA ISSUES
STUDIES ARE UNDERWAY TO EVALUATE THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF ANTI-COAGULATION
STUDIES ARE UNDERWAY TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF ANTIHISTAMINES AND OTHER IMMUNE REGULATORS altering the immune system may protect against inflammation, but make the person more vulnerable to new infection.
THE USE OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY TREATMENTS INCLUDING NATURAL SUBSTANCES MAY ADDRESS THE INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS
VALUE OF MELATONIN AND OREXIN FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCES IS UNKNOWN

STUDY OF PITUITARY REGULATION IS INDICATED FOR HYPOTHALAMIC DISTURBANCES.

HERBAL TECHNIQUES FOR REGULATING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED.