Survival as a Universal Biological Drive
Survival is crucial for living species, and all living species struggle to survive in their habitats, whether they are humans or crabs; the will to survive can be seen in all living species. Although the survival of humans is different in the 21st century, for most of the species, survival means being able to get enough to eat and stay away from dangers. Contrary to other species, most of the needs of humans to be fed and safe are met, but they require survival in the competing world where they live. For instance, women struggle to survive and be well-known in a male-dominated society, unlike mud crabs, which try to survive in a crab-eat-crab world by avoiding blue crabs. The mud crabs use the smell of blue-crab urine to detect danger and hide in order to survive. Still, women focus on getting quality education to survive in the male-dominated world and get recognition. The paper discusses the will to survive using various mechanisms in the species, using examples of mud crabs and Robbi Jo David to evaluate the necessity of survival for crabs and women, drawing on methods such as danger detection and education, respectively.
Instinct and Learned Survival Behaviour
The instinct theory suggests that all species have some kind of biological mechanism for maximizing the chances of survival. However, later learning theories validated the need for survival in all species. The mechanism to optimize survival is not only embedded in the biology of the species but also in learning theories. The species learn about dangers and learn to defend themselves from them. For instance, although humans have the fight and flight mechanism to be aware and protected from dangers, they have built houses and locks to protect themselves from them. Similarly, all the species learn to defend themselves on top of their biological mechanisms. For instance, forming colonies is another mechanism for being protected from predators. Cooperation assists organisms in defending themselves from dangerous enemies. Adaptability to the environment and learning can best be seen in pests and their adaptation to pesticides. The pests learn to adapt to certain stresses that might be harmful to them. They change their genes to adapt and respond to certain threats that pesticides pose to them. Hence, the mechanisms of survival are learned, and a biological mechanism assists the species in responding to the dangers using distinct mechanisms for distinct threats. Certain crabs have certain mechanisms to respond to the threats of the environment and their predators to maximize their survival. For instance, mud crabs respond to threats from blue crabs using smell mechanisms. Although the mud crabs do not see blue crabs coming to eat them in the muddy water, they use smell detection methods to detect the dangers. They smell the chemicals in the urine of the blue crabs and hide to ensure their safety. Similarly, other animals and plants use other mechanisms to defend themselves. The mechanisms of crabs and other species usually depend on staying away from danger or killing invaders, unlike humans, who have developed well-organized mechanisms to ensure their well-being. The various and updated mechanisms of self-defence in the species show the willingness to survive. The willingness to survive in humans differs from the instinctual defences of other species. It not only focuses on basic necessities but also encompasses the quality and satisfaction needed to achieve optimum conditions for survival. The example of women would suffice to explain the quality and optimal conditions of survival. Moreover, it is not only about surviving but also about living one’s life optimally. To ensure such a high level of survival, humans came up with certain defences. For example, building homes and getting an education. However, women were kept out of the educational institutions as the society was male-dominated. Women did not have access to an optimal, quality life, but this changed slowly, and women started going to school, getting an education, and finding jobs. Regardless, certain fields and jobs were considered off-limits for women. Nevertheless, the strong will of women helped them create mechanisms to be included in all spheres of life that were beyond their basic survival instincts. They depended on learning and achieving the goals of being recognized in society and enjoying their lives equally (Clark et al., 2018).
Education and Human Adaptation
One of the mechanisms women used was to get an education and enhance their capacities to fit their environment. Survival mechanisms depend on the environment in which the species lives. For instance, if a muddy crab lives in muddy water and cannot see the blue crabs, they come up with a mechanism for smell detection. Similarly, women living with men in an organized community need mental capacity and polished skills to be secure from the inequalities of society, as did Robbi Jo David. Robbi Jo David became a Robbi, which is an off-limits field for women, but with her education and capabilities, she surpassed the limits and landed jobs in fields considered off-limits. The women, in order to survive in communities where mental and physical capabilities are tested every day, must exceed the boundaries to achieve their goals of optimal survival.
Human Survival Beyond Basic Needs
For a human being, survival goes beyond the basic requirements of food, shelter, and staying away from danger. The survival of women in society, including landing odd jobs or working hard to be scientists, philosophers, and mothers needs special education. It needs active efforts and learning like the crabs to be able to cope with the environment and survive. However, it is more complicated than the situation of crabs. Crabs need to eat and hide to survive, but humans need to remain in society, in danger, and strive to be safe. For crabs and other species, it is easy to hide as long as they have enough food, but women cannot hide forever from society and social norms to be safe. They need to confront the problems and find solutions with proper planning to be safe in the society of men. They have to do more than take care of their lives to survive in society. They have to fight injustices and inequality. They have to educate and learn. They have to plan and execute. They have to be persistent to achieve their goals. They have to change their techniques to cope with the situation and the changes in the environment. As they are living with other human beings, they have to come up with a strategy that does not offend anybody. They have to plan to be in harmony with other human beings, as a lack of harmony might make the situation worse for them. In some cases, this leads to death and animosities between people (Spielman et al., 2020).
Different Survival Strategies Across Species
Therefore, survival techniques differ for humans and other species, and the meaning of survival has changed for women living in human society and for other species living in their environments. Regardless of the differences, women, as well as other non-human species, strive for survival. In human terms, education and the development of social, political, analytical, and specialized skills are often helpful, as in the case of Robbi David. Robbi David used education as the mechanism to become a Robbi, which is not considered to be a women’s field. Robbi David planned and got the education that helped her become the Robbi. Education acted as a mechanism for survival in a male-dominated society and for landing a job. Similarly, other women use the same technique of education and learning to survive in a world that is hostile to them in one way or another. Nonetheless, the crabs and other non-human species respond to danger with a different set of techniques that are not socially sophisticated, but they have better adaptation techniques that assist them in survival (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018).
Shared Struggle for Continued Existence
Although the mechanisms of survival differ in human and non-human species, they both strive to survive according to their needs and requirements. Survival for all species seems to be the highest priority, whether through genetic adaptation, proteins, or other external mechanisms that respond to survival needs. All the human and non-human species try in some ways to maximize their chances of survival. They strive to persist into the next generations. For non-human species, it is a way to live longer and more safely, but for humans, it is also a way to improve quality of life. The word survival in the human world has become crucial, and they have applied it in every field. Survival has become part of living a disease-free life and combating the disease. Even though the non-human species have similar threats to survival, threats to human survival have increased in number. Regardless of the number of threats to humans or other species, they struggle and combat all the evils to survive. They try to find new ways and solutions to cope with the challenges. The non-human species try to adapt, changing their genetic makeup or incorporating their senses to respond to the threats. For instance, crabs use their antennae and legs to smell the chemicals in the urine of blue crabs to survive.
Conclusion on Survival and Adaptation
To conclude, survival is important for the human species, and humans try to optimize their chances of survival. Survival is a necessity, and every species tries to survive by adapting their physical or genetic makeup or by focusing on using other techniques to protect themselves from predators. However, survival for humans in the 21st century differs in many ways as the notion of survival has changed from the basic needs of feeding and shelter to a more qualitative and comprehensive concept. Such a concept of survival covers the social aspects of survival, where a person has to adapt to the environment and the competition in society to have a quality life. The concept of survival shifts from a minimalist to a holistic approach, where survival has become a comparative concept that encompasses the environment and other fellow species in order to survive. It also requires the person to plan carefully to achieve the target and survive in society. Hence, adaptability and survival have become core subjects, as they ensure the continuity and well-being of the species. Therefore, all living species have developed various techniques, and these techniques differ from one another due to different needs and requirements for survival. For instance, crabs change their genes, hide to stay safe, or use their senses to detect danger, but humans use techniques such as education and planning to obtain positive results and survive in their habitats.
References
Clark, M. A., Choi, J., & Douglas, M. (2018). Biology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction
Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783
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