The Strongest Flower

In my daughter's bedroom is a framed poem from Cleo Wade,

“Baby,

you are

the

strongest flower

that

ever grew.

Remember that

when the

weather

changes.“

It's unclear if Cleo Wade had a scientific rationale for this verse which inspires many children, but some 1.6 billion years ago, humans split from plants. Indeed, we may be the strongest flower.

With each successive generation of flowers, by virtue of evolution, the flower became more adaptable, or stronger.

Humans come from a long lineage of survivors.

Anyone living today could have easily not existed if one of their ancestors over thousands and thousands of generations ago had been a weak "flower" and not strong enough or adaptable to drought, famine, disease, natural disaster, or war.

It's a miracle that anyone made it to birth today since the beginning of life.

We are inherently strong and with each successive generation became stronger.

As Darwin said in the "Origin of Species", "Yet of those which do survive, the best adapted individuals, supposing that there is any variability in a favourable direction, will tend to propagate their kind in larger numbers than the less well adapted."

Our ability to form knowledge and explanations separates us from all other beings.

We are able to document which flowers are deadly, how to cultivate land, and even outsmart lions, the king of the jungle, making us the strongest flower that ever grew.