13. Life's Imperfect Invasion of the Universe

Life's Imperfect Invasion of the Universe
Bob Komives
::

Demon of today,
tormenting tester,
inhibitor of brave and bold,
a once hero
changed by subtle imperception,
you are that mistake we may make
or have just now made over
into more guilt and gossip.
. (The same mistake
. that we will someday remake
. into light hearted fame and folklore.)
Today,
you are the pains that we feel will last
that now make us cringe
and make us fear our self
as much too dangerously human.
In lonely race to uncommon disgrace,
we cannot face today's new imperfection.

Hero from our past,
delightful jester,
entertainer with tales of old,
a once demon
changed by time and new perception,
you are that mistake that time takes
and so slowly makes over
into more lore and legend.
. (The same mistake
. that we will each day remake
. with feelings of shame and sorrow.)
Today,
you are the aches from decades gone past
that now let us laugh
and let us accept our self
among strangely similar humans.
Together within our common old sins,
now we can grin at older imperfection.

About Our Acceptance Of Older Imperfection

In a lifeless universe, energy flowed into, around and out of many forms of matter. These multiple forms interacted with themselves, creating more complex forms. Amidst the trillions of trillions of interactions, energy combined in a pattern that could purposefully reproduce itself. This pattern could capture and organize more energy to sustain itself and repeat the same pattern. This was life. It may have started many times. Successful life needs a way to remember how to maintain and reproduce itself. In the form that we know, it is the genes in our cellular DNA that remember. All of life needs some type of genetic organization that tells one generation of interactions how to repeat the essential interactions of previous generations.

If a perfect form of perfect life ever lived
(before or since this life we know)
it fell to the perils of its own perfection.

||

Perfect life reproduces itself infallibly. One generation is guaranteed to be exactly like the previous. Maybe this living perfection had no generations at all. One creature just continued. It grew; it ebbed and flowed; or it stayed exactly as it was. This perfect form of life had to dwell in an inconsistent world. Extreme changes happened in the dynamic universe and in each niche of the young and dynamic planet Earth. Unable to adapt, this perfect life form died and became inanimate residue of a perfectly beautiful but inflexible creature.

Long-lasting life must be imperfect. It works well most of the time, but its memory must fail often enough for some members of new generations to differ from their parents. Ongoing imperfection allows life to undergo adaptive evolution, so that, when the inanimate environment changes, some forms of life survive. Many die, but the chain continues. Life's imperfect invasion of universe continues.

:: Bob Komives, Fort Collins © 2006 :: Plum Local IV :: 13. Life's Imperfect Invasion of the Universe ::
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