A Neutered Darwin Award

This is the anniversary of the first printing of Darwin’s Origin of Species, back in 1859, whose theme was the ‘survival of the fittest’ or, more accurately, the non-survival of the un-fit.

We will have more to say about evolution, but, for now, the materialist stance of Darwin, that this world is all there is, more or less governed by random chance, implies the poverty of those who ‘live for this world alone’, to paraphrase Saint Paul, and who are most to be pitied. We may call to mind the representative milquetoast millennial – a certain Wes Siler – who has described in vivid detail the vivisection of having his vas deferens severed in that tragic procedure known as a ‘vasectomy’. His reason? Of course, to ‘fight climate change’. His logic, such as it be, is that nothing he could do to lower his carbon emission would compare to simply not having carbon-producing beings called ‘children’.

My apologies to those who have undergone this procedure, but one wonders what our forefathers would have thought of men voluntarily getting themselves neutered like dogs and cats.

But Mark Steyn is right: Far more efficient, and apparently altruistic, to take Siler’s philosophy to it logical conclusion, is to commit suicide, as did the original body-and-creation haters, the Manicheans (3rd century), the Cathars (12th century) and, now, the Climate zealots (21st century and, well, beyond…). Climate change is about a lot more, and a lot more sinister, than the weather. It’s a bellwether for the demise of our civilization, a universal despair seeping into our very bones, even our reproductive organs.

One may ponder the providential syzygy, and why Mr. Siler may be the first in line for this year’s Darwin awards, who described ‘fitness’ as how many progeny one produces. Hence, the irony of said award, which honours those who remove themselves from the gene pool, by the self-elimination of the unfit.

Of course, we Catholic see things from a more supernatural perspective. It is one thing, like the courageous Bishop Michael Power of whom Mrs. McDermott writes so movingly today, to forego children for the sake of the supernatural kingdom of Christ – for we must have those consecrated and devoted souls whose primary task is leading our souls and minds – but for mythical Gaia? The all-too-natural bogeyman of ‘climate change’? It seems the Siler line has hit the end of the line, but so goes, ahem, evolution.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

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Payette’s Payout

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Saint Isidore of Seville, the Internet and Industriousness

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An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

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