The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily 1415: Elephants Born Without Tusks by Alison C. Rollins
Dec 18, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, the host explores the evolution of humans compared to animals, pondering how societal pressures may lead to de-evolution. The reading of Rollins's poignant poem, featuring themes of adaptation and mortality, connects animal survival to human experiences. It raises unsettling questions about conforming to societal norms for self-preservation. Overall, the reflections challenge listeners to consider the complexity of survival in a world that often fears difference.
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Evolution As Social Adaptation
- Maggie Smith reframes evolution as social adaptation, not just physical change in animals.
- She worries survival in hostile societies may require repressing difference, which feels like de-evolution.
Green Burials And Return To Earth
- Allison C. Rollins' poem imagines funerary trends and green burials, with graves marked by mushrooms and kneecaps rising from dirt.
- The poem connects those images to systemic violence and the desire to return to earth as natural reclamation.
Human Pressure Alters Animal Genetics
- The poem links human-driven market forces to biological change, noting elephants born without tusks due to poaching pressures.
- It warns that genetics can be shaped by human greed, not just natural environments.