
The founding scientist at Jurassic Park is dumbfounded when he learns that his cloned dinosaurs have begun reproducing. He believed he had genetically altered their makeup to prevent that from happening. Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum), a scientist who studies chaos, responds to his confusion with a matter-of-fact declaration: “Life finds a way.” He then adds, “That’s the way it is!”
Life finds a way! Despite the odds stacked against it, life will adapt and find a way to survive. Individual organisms may not survive, but life itself will go on! That’s the way it is!” This is a cosmic truth rooted in the very fabric of the universe. Life plays a special role in creation. While it will eventually yield to the chaos of entropy, life stands nearly alone in delaying that final assault on the universe. As far as anything in the universe can be counted on, life will find a way. That is the way it is! This is as close to an eternal truth as we have ever discovered.
This truth came home to me one afternoon as we were walking on a boardwalk through the mudflats of the Indian Point Park outside of Corpus Christi. This creature was lurking in the brush, poking around for a meal in the mud. It is a Long-billed Curlew and is common along the Texas Coast. The bill is quite unique for birds in this area. There are several birds with long bills, though this is probably the longest on average. Most birds use their bills to probe the mud for tasty bits. But why is this bird’s bill curved? What evolutionary advantage could there be to this curved bill? What were this bird’s ancestors adapting to in order to develop this strangely shaped bill in future generations? Check out the picture below for a hint.

The curved bill allows the bird to get underneath the shrubs in the mud flats and probe beneath their roots. The rubbernecking enables them to seek out morsels of food that other birds would not be able to reach without expending a great deal of energy digging up the roots. Among these birds’ ancestors were a few birds that adapted their way of life, and evolution rewarded those who were best equipped and most successful in foraging among the roots. Thousands of generations later, we have the Long-billed Curlew thriving without having to compete with other birds for their food supply.
Life depends on this adaptability. We owe our existence on Planet Earth to adaptability. In fact, quantum mechanics suggests that life depends on adaptability to hold back the inevitable destiny of entropy. What is this magical ability called adapting? It is as simple as doing our best with what we have available.
We do not have to be perfect; we only have to do the best we can. When confronted with a challenge, we can become paralyzed by finding the perfect response. But this often leads to inaction and missed opportunities. Instead, a thoughtful response would seek the “best” response given the situation. Sometimes, these do not work out, and sometimes, they do. Regardless, we will have learned something for the next encounter with the challenge.
This involves relying on our tools and abilities and not waiting for something better to come along. Again, sometimes the tool or ability will serve us well, and sometimes it will not. In either situation, we will have learned something about what we need to address the challenge.
Adapting also involves accepting the world as it is and responding appropriately. People whose perceptions of the world around them are primarily shaped by their desires or fears will not adapt. They will be unable to accurately address their challenges. Adapting requires facing the world as it is and responding in kind. Otherwise, we are shadowboxing against a foe called reality who will kick our butt. By adapting to the real world, we learn and grow into creatures with a greater chance of survival in this world.
Next, we must trust that our best will be good enough in the short term. This is more than hoping for the best. If it is rooted in self-confidence, then that trust is more manageable, even while recognizing that falling short is always an option. Our trust sets aside the need to win every play and is satisfied with the long game, even if we are no longer on the field. If our best falls short, we will try something else. Adaptation is a process, and trust grows out of patience with the process.
We do our best with what we have. It is called adapting! Our Long-billed friend comes from generations of birds with slightly longer bills and a little more curved than their ancestors. In time, and I do not mean a mere lifetime, they evolved into the creature pictured above, who is able to find food that other birds could not reach. That is the power of adaptability and individual life.
Life has been doing this for nearly 14 billion years and, I suspect, will do so for the next several trillion years when the last bit of energy in the universe disperses into the final hot cloud of nothingness. In the meantime, life will find a way, and that’s the way it is!
“All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive.” ~Yann Martel, Life of Pi