Guardians of Balance
Our world is a constantly evolving balance of life and complexity. Each organism, from people, down to the smallest amoeba, have a profound effect and purpose. It could be theorized that life itself knows what it needs to flourish, and tries to steer itself there, through evolution and adaptation. Self-aware, life acts as one coherent entity, manifesting itself in various abnormalities and mutations. These changes would seem to be with one purpose: to preserve and strengthen life. Yet among these “life preserving” phenomena, are some which seem counterintuitive. Homosexuality would seemingly go against the rules of evolution. However, to think that there is no purpose for such a thing would be to greatly underestimate the deliberate nature of life.
A perfect example of life’s intentional preservation is the baby boomer generation. After the Vietnam War, many American men lost their lives. The remaining men came home and began conceiving in record numbers. What is usually a perfect 50/50 male to female birth rate, adjusted itself to make up for the men who had died. The “will” of our species adjusted the birth ratio in order to preserve our delicate balance. In an article from The University College London, Anthropology Department:
“There is a large literature on the evolution of sex ratio. Darwinian Theory predicts that the sex ratio of reproductive adults will be close to 50:50 if the costs of producing males and females are similar. Because every member of any sexually reproducing population has one mother and one father, the average reproductive success of males and females is always equal. If one sex becomes more numerous than the other, then a parent producing offspring of the rarer sex will leave more grandchildren. Hence strong selection pulls sex ratio back towards 50:50.” (Mace, Jordan, Holden, 2003)
It can be definitively said that humanity in general can sense an upset in the balance of the male to female ratio, and adjust accordingly. Humanity may also sense other problematic aspects, and try to help. Such as an over populated earth, or many children growing up without the guidance of parents. Homosexuality has been documented since mankind began writing things down. The idea that the ratio at which human beings are born homosexual, is directly related to our ability to provide for our offspring, is not an outlandish one. In order to explore it we must assume that homosexuality is an inborn trait and not a choice.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the sexuality of the majority of people, homosexual or heterosexual, is a result of a conscious choice on their part. Despite the frequently heard popular assertations that homosexuality is a choice (De Witt, 1992), the overwhelming majority of homosexual males and females indicate they never chose to become homosexual, but that they are that way innately (SteveD41, 1993, "Evidence"; GregBear, 1993). Those who would dismiss this point make the untenable mistake of believing in synchronized mass dishonesty, rather than accepting the stated feelings of homosexuals as indicators of (at least partially) natural biological drives. (Preston Hunter 1993)
All human beings are born with sexual preferences. Many heterosexual men are attracted to women with certain features. Tall woman short woman, whatever it is, it is. Woman often have very specific traits which they are attracted to as well. If a person is sexually aroused by a certain characteristic, it happens naturally. We are simply attracted to certain things, and are simply not attracted to others. There is no choice. Homosexuality may eventually be viewed the same way. It will take time, however, for intellect and logic to break through the walls that generations of ignorance so diligently built.
Even more than just a naturally inborn attraction to the same sex, homosexuality may be a balance to an otherwise off balance world. With many populations growing beyond their means, and many children suffering from poor resources, homosexuality could offer relief. This relief is quite possibly not visible in the span of one lifetime, but over thousands of years homosexuality could be just the buffer evolution needs to provide for our offspring. It is difficult to speculate the reason behind the existence of homosexuality. Though there are many possibilities. In an article in the Huffington Post, author G. Roger Denson writes:
“A priest I know to be a self-affirmed heterosexual recently engaged me in a debate on the merits of heterosexuality vs. homosexuality. The conversation went something like this: "Procreation, Mr. Denson, is a creative force. Those who bring life into the world are vital." "And those who secure life's essential balance, Father ... they are crucial." "How do homosexuals secure the species, Mr. Denson. I mean as sexual beings?" "We preserve the species. We are conservation realized. We provide nature's ... restraint ... on your procreative extravagance. We keep your production from becoming ...overproduction ... pollution ... destruction unbridled. We keep you from becoming ... an obscene cosmic joke."
These elegantly stated words sum up the idea perfectly. Homosexuality exists with a purpose. This essential purpose could be to balance the children and the lack of adults who are supposed to raise them. Raise them to survive and preserve the species. It could clearly be argued that this is not happening as it is supposed to, and that our species has taken actions to correct it.
This theory can also be confirmed by evolution itself. Evolution over thousands and millions of years weeds out or strengthens characteristics that are harmful or beneficial to life. If homosexuality was harmful to the preservation of humanity, then it would have evolved out ages ago. Rather it is more apparent than ever, giving credibility to the notion that it serves a purpose to our species.
“While evolution is the foundational force of biology, sex is the mortar that holds that foundation together. So advantageous is sex that despite the high biological cost of sex most macroscopic animals, including 99% of all vertebrates, reproduce sexually (Sites, 1993). It is because sexual reproduction is so indispensable and so zealously selected for that the existence of homosexuality is a paradox. Homosexuality would seem to be the antithesis of sexual reproduction, the enemy of evolution. One must wonder: why wouldn't evolution quickly select against behavior which diverts an animal from sex and reproduction? Yet despite seeming unlikelihood homosexuality does exist. Moreover, homosexuality is more than an insignificant quirk in one or two animal species and a social aberration in humans. It is widespread in animals.” (Hunter, 1994)
So here we have a phenomena which crosses all cultures, races, ethnicities, and even species. An effect which has existed for thousands of years, continues to grow and develop. Homosexuality is apparent throughout the animal kingdom from fish all the way up to the largest mammals.
“In modern times the scientific community has observed and thus become aware of widespread non-human homosexuality. Animals from "throughout the animal kingdom" have been observed engaged in same-sex courting and same-sex copulation (Alcock, 1989, p. 525) and "apparent homosexual behavior increases as we ascent the taxonomic tree toward mammals" (Denniston, 1980) and then towards primates. “(Hunter, 1994)
Clearly documented and widely apparent, homosexuality is an obvious natural occurrence. To disregard such a global and cross species effect would be naïve to say the least. So the question is not: Is homosexuality an important effect which has a purpose? But rather: What is the important purpose of homosexuality in our species? As it clearly has one. As does every part of our world have a purpose, no matter how small or how seemingly unimportant. Yet some occurrences, like homosexuality, are particularly difficult for mainstream society to see the benefit in. This is due to cultural and religious prejudices, which have historically hindered education and understanding significantly. To bypass fear and to attempt to see a purpose is to attempt to find knowledge. Finding the evolutionary purpose of homosexuality is a widely researched topic among biologists. From trying to find a “gay gene” (which no one has come close to doing) to simply explaining the existence of same sex attraction, it is an important field of study.
“In modern times the scientific community has observed and thus become aware of widespread non-human homosexuality. Animals from "throughout the animal kingdom" have been observed engaged in same-sex courting and same-sex copulation (Alcock, 1989, p. 525) and "apparent homosexual behavior increases as we ascent the taxonomic tree toward mammals" (Denniston, 1980) and then towards primates. “(Hunter, 1994)
Clearly documented and widely apparent, homosexuality is an obvious natural occurrence. To disregard such a global and cross species effect would be naïve to say the least. So the question is not: Is homosexuality an important effect which has a purpose? But rather: What is the important purpose of homosexuality in our species? As it clearly has one. As does every part of our world have a purpose, no matter how small or how seemingly unimportant. Yet some occurrences, like homosexuality, are particularly difficult for mainstream society to see the benefit in. This is due to cultural and religious prejudices, which have historically hindered education and understanding significantly. To bypass fear and to attempt to see a purpose is to attempt to find knowledge. Finding the evolutionary purpose of homosexuality is a widely researched topic among biologists. From trying to find a “gay gene” (which no one has come close to doing) to simply explaining the existence of same sex attraction, it is an important field of study.
“ Many evolutionary biologists have wrestled with the widespread presence of homosexuality in human populations. Essentially, their quandary is not that homosexuality is present in large numbers (2-3% at most in any population), but that it is found in virtually all cultures and societies at least to some degree. Evolutionarily, this implies that there is some evolutionary benefit and some genetic component, which usually means it contributes to survival and reproductive success in some way. But how can that be when homosexuals reproduce at a far lesser rate than heterosexuals? The original sociobiologist, E. O. Wilson, stated the problem this way: "The homosexual state itself results in inferior genetic fitness; because of course homosexual men marry much less frequently and have far fewer children than their unambiguously heterosexual counterparts. Homosexuals may gain a genetic fitness by being primarily helpers in raising offspring of their brothers and sisters, therefore preserving their own genes through aiding the survival of their nieces and nephews who carry about 1/8 of their own genes (technically referred to as kin selection). Aiding the survival of eight or more such nieces and nephews preserves a full complement of your genes into the next generation which is how natural selection supposedly works.” (Bohlin, Probe Ministries)
Making some members of society less likely to bare their own children, and more likely to help improve the life of another’s children, seems like an efficient plan. If I were life, and was brain-storming a way to achieve this, homosexuality would be an elegant solution. Given the current circumstances and the state much of the world is in, it is within reason to think we could use all the help we can get. With its historical precedent, and its current vast presence, it seems homosexuality is here to stay. Whether it serves a purpose in our society is hardly debatable. The hard part is rummaging through the many positive effects which homosexually born individuals most definitely provide for humanity.
When we gaze at the cultural happenings and observe the routines of nature, it is astonishing how well everything works together. Each human life is but a mere second in the span of millennia. To think we could decide that a certain trait is unnatural or immoral would be to glorify our ignorance. The ultimate plan of evolution only becomes visible in retrospect. As a society we benefit from many seemingly insignificant or even seemingly harmful things. It is through unbiased research that we may one day comprehend just how vital each intricacy actually is. Homosexuality is one of these ever important intricacies and its importance will grow with its numbers.
(It is not the intention of the author to cast any judgment on or to scientifically reduce a sexual orientation to a sterile equation. This is written only in an attempt to bring understanding to a massive cultural phenomena which deserves proper recognition.)
Work Cited:
Testing evolutionary hypotheses about human biological adaptation using cross-cultural comparison Ruth Mace*, Fiona Jordan, Clare Holden Department of Anthropology, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Homosexuality: A Paradox of Evolution - By Preston Hunter, 1994.
Can't Homosexuality Be Seen as Population Control? Ray Bohlin, Probe Ministries
Homosexuality as population control? Nature’s restraint on procreative extravagance.
G. Roger Denson.Critic, essayist and cultural nomad Posted: November 17, 2010 12:34 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
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