Famous Penguins and the People That Watch Them

One of my favorite documentaries is The March of the Penguins. I saw it about a year ago at the request of my brother, after he had raved about it. It fascinated me to watch as these cute little penguins waddled their way through frigid temperatures to go through their annual mating processes, as if they were programmed to do so. The way they behaved was, at times, comical because they carried themselves like humans. They are creatures of habit that perform their natural courses without concern for the changes that surround them.

I started thinking, as is usually the case, about the similarities and differences between penguins and people. It occurred to me that people were meant to live in community. As the penguins marched to their destination, they stayed in the straightest of lines, so they could save the greatest number of troops. Upon arrival, they huddled to stay warm; each group taking turns in the middle of the pack. Yet, as my wife and I attempt to survive in the "big city" of Dallas, TX, I could not tell you the names of those that live around me. It is sad to think that as much as we are built to live in community, everything that is within us is conditioned for solitude. We have grown to desire everything at our fingertips, and we despise community.

This is, perhaps, the most dangerous form of evolution. Many creatures have adapted or "evolved" for basic survival, but humanity is the only being that has ever evolved toward destruction. As we isolate ourselves from each other, the fabric of family and community begins to tear. 

Additionally, it seems as though we've been torn apart by the search for truth. As each person attempts to construct his own "truth," he removes himself from every divergent... which is everyone. What would happen if the penguins followed suit? If they began to seek their own path, they would die. Instead, they continue to trudge through life together... as a community. It forces me to ask the question: Are we really the smartest of the bunch?