Niche construction

I spent some time yesterday walking through the forest with a new friend -- a woman from Texas who grew up here on the island, was back visiting her family, and had been encouraged to look me up by a friend of hers who reads my blog.

It always amazes me, the way like-minded souls seem to manage to gravitate to one another in this great universe of ours.  Psychologist Thomas Armstrong, in that Rain Forest article I spoke of yesterday, calls this "niche construction," and notes that it may be just as important to evolution as natural selection.   Just as where a spider builds her nest or where a beaver constructs his dam will prove critical to their survival, "Choices about lifestyle or career," he says, "may be among the most critical in determining whether a person suffers as a disordered individual or finds satisfaction in an environment that recognizes his strengths."

And if you find yourself forced to exist in a hostile or unsupportive environment, connections outside that environment can be key to helping you survive -- which, I suspect, is why cellphones and the internet become so important to some people.

All fun things to think about -- but I need to run off to class now; full day ahead!  Have a good weekend!