the altruism of squirrels

"True benevolence or compassion, extends itself through the whole of existence and sympathizes with the distress of every creature capable of sensation." -- Joseph Addison

Squirrels have always had special meaning to me. I'm told when I was quite little, I gave myself the "Squirrel" moniker, though I believe this nickname comes from Southerners' inability to say Cheryl.

Cheryl is a two-syllable world, but many pronounce it as an elongated Cherrrrl. Like pearl. Or swirl. Or squirrel.

Most all my loved ones call me Squirrel, more than Cheryl. It is a term of endearment that conveniently comes with all sorts of gifts - figurines, acorns, squirrel tail hats. (Oh, the horror!) But the most beloved gift is seeing the gray squirrels that dwell in our NC forests. They are curious, playful, adorable. And, as it turns out, they are quite altruistic.

The following is from human biology concentrator Elyse VyVy Trinh's commencement speech at Brown, dated 29 May 2011:

"In 1977, biologist Paul Sherman published a groundbreaking paper carefully documenting the behavior of ground squirrels in California’s Sierra Mountains. Yes, you heard me right — I said squirrels. You see, upon sensing a predator, these squirrels would often cry out to warn their peers, bringing attention to the caller herself and resulting in her own death. Dr. Sherman wanted to know how this example of altruism could exist in nature. It seemed to directly contradict Darwin’s long established evolutionary theory of the “survival of the fittest.” Surely an organism born with the innate willingness to die would not survive, and thus its genetic material, including the capacity for self-sacrificial acts, would not be passed on.

The study showed that squirrels were significantly more likely to cry out when surrounded by their kin — siblings, cousins. These results were profound. They suggested that it is the gene or the genome that is “trying” to survive, not the individual, nor the species. Thus if a squirrel perishes but in doing so saves his brothers (those who share much of his genome), his genes still survive and are still the fittest. The study offered to the scientific world the evolutionary basis of altruism."

We can conclude, if not know instinctively, that our genes are encoded with "the tendency to love, even at the cost of individual pain . . . loving makes us more fit for our environment than not loving."

. . . "we must listen to our altruistic impulses if we wish to collectively survive and thrive."

Initially, I wanted to share this squirrel pillow because I created it for my youngest son, who just graduated from high school. Sentimental Mama, yes! As I wrote, I recalled the message of Trinh and was able to dig it up from my endless files of "favorite things".

It resonates today, don't you think?