Adaptation

Charles Darwin.
Naturalist, geologist, biologist.
Author.
Best known for his theories on evolution, survival of the fittest, and a holistic view of nature.

Surprisingly enough, his theories have weighed heavily on my mind lately.
Most of it is day-dooming; imagining the worst situation imaginable and trying to decipher how I would fare in such a situation, but much of it could be relevant.

Simple facts, like requiring glasses or contacts to do nearly anything, requiring medication to help my own organs function properly (namely my thyroid, my intestines, my blood), and being particularly weak and struggling with mobility, complicate things. Having to rely on external sources to experience a fraction of proper function is not really conducive to any serious natural disaster or widespread medication shortages.
I begin to imagine earthquakes or tsunamis, volcano eruptions, mass floods - natural disasters that have been occuring more often everywhere in the world. If Survival of the Fittest is a concept we have no choice but to face head-on, how will I fare?

Then I came across two particular quotes from the man himself:

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed"

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

These quotes give me a sense of hope.
His basic theory has evolved (see what I did there?) into this sense of having physical strength and being willing to use others as a stepladder to success.
Survival is so much more than that.

If chronic illness has taught me anything, it is that our bodies and our strength can adapt to ever-changing circumstances. Adapting to new pain, new illness, a new normal, has become fairly second-nature to me now, and knowing that adaptation, improvisation, and collaboration are all at the forefront of his base theory gives me hope.
I may have an especially difficult time in a post-war, post-disaster, or post-apocalyptic scenario, but I am also stubborn as all hell and determined. I would also likely have to rely on others, but I know that I can also help others as well. Mutually beneficial. I could survive. It would be less likely than an average able-bodied individual, but if adaptation is any measure, I am definitely fit.

Remember this quote the next time you feel utterly helpless, hopeless, or like a burden on others because of illness and disability.