Survival of the fittest most adaptable

July 10, 2000
Back in the days when carriages were all pulled by horses or other livestock, very few of the wagon and carriage-makers of the time expected their coach and carriage industry to change in any significant way.

Back in the days when carriages were all pulled by horses or other livestock, very few of the wagon and carriage-makers of the time expected their coach and carriage industry to change in any significant way.

This is evident by their reluctance to accept the newfangled "horseless carriages" as anything more than a passing, impractical whim.

And of the handful that did recognize the potential presented by the self-moving carriages, which could transport people and cargo much farther and faster than horses (and were not restricted by rails), only a smaller number still were able or willing to retool and adapt. The few who did soon become an integral part of the burgeoning young automobile industry.

And they survived.

Anyone who has driven a General Motors automobile within the past few decades is familiar with the nameplate of one of the few carriage-makers that willingly and successfully made that transition. With less foresight, others saw their businesses gradually decline as the demand for their product diminished. Except for the Amish and carriages used as tourist attractions, there is very little market in the US today for horse-drawn carriages.

Darwin was right

The ability to adapt has long been recognized as the most fundamental characteristic of a survivor.

Today we marvel at butterflies with spots on their wings that so closely resemble owl's eyes and we wonder how that could be. But earlier butterflies that had eye-like spots on their wings were less likely to have been eaten by predators. As they survived and produced offspring, each successive generation having spots that most resembled eyes continued to be the ones that were most likely to survive, until today we see the remarkable phenomenon of butterflies with perfect "owl eyes" on their wings.

All animals instinctively utilize the particular senses and other elements of their kind that best promote their own survival and hence, the survival of their species. The fittest, and the most adaptable, survive.

Survival in the 2000s

Humans also use instincts to promote their survival. In addition, we have the advantage of consciousness-awareness and reasoning thought-which we use to make choices intended to promote our status and survival in a variety of very competitive environments. We are faced with innumerable choices on a myriad of levels every day.

One such level, of course, is business.

Recognizing trends and potential (as the carriage-maker did) and shifting our behavior to accommodate them is the best way to ensure that we will be among the survivors of our generation and that we will remain in a position to form direction for our successors.

Alternatives

This issue features a special report on alternative energy initiatives that begins on p. 64.

The business that Oil & Gas Journal covers is essentially, the provision of energy. This is not limited to the production, processing, and transportation of oil and gas and their by-products, but energy in many forms to fuel the fast pace of our civilization in a way that will ensure both mankind's physical and this industry's economic survival.

Our building here overlooks one of the busiest thoroughfares in the world. In the nearby distance, the skyline of Houston pales daily in a haze of airborne particulates from those vehicles and from our many Gulf Coast refineries and processing facilities. These facilities provide vitality to this abundantly modern city, in the form of jobs, both directly and in the many service industries that support the energy industry.

Survival

We look at that ever-present haze, listen to the constant public outcry for clean air and water ("But still provide us with cheap energy, please!") and note the increasing legislative initiatives that are beginning to cripple our industry.

Our survival instinct is piqued because we know that change is inevitable. All the signs are there.

But the sight of a "Body by Fisher" nameplate on an automobile carriage or "owl's eyes" on the wings of a butterfly reminds us that those who are most willing or best able to adapt to change are the ones that usually survive.

This industry can, too.