The Gift of Persistence

I have to admit it. I’m a fan of the “Persistence Hunting Hypothesis.”

The idea is that humans evolved as endurance runners. As the recent Olympic games have amply demonstrated, some of us are capable of incredible speed. But even the fastest will be shown the backside of any number of critters in a sprint, especially in hot conditions.

But add distance to the equation, and we bipeds have the advantage over them we wish to eat.

Running on two vs. four legs is more energy-efficient over long distances.

Sweat glands and a relative lack of hair and fur allow for more effective thermoregulation.

The structure of our toes, feet, and tendons makes for better energy storage, release, leverage, and shock absorption.

Indeed, we see evidence of ancient and contemporary peoples who hunt effectively by chasing their prey for hours until they collapse from exhaustion (I’ll leave you to your own ethical frameworks on this one).

Sometimes, we are best served by accepting things as they are. There are also times when we need to persist.

We are built to endure. We have the capacity to pursue our objectives for much longer than we may believe.

We have within us the genius to achieve, not just through brilliance, or luck, or favor, but because of the gift of persistence.