A Commentary on Fitness and Social Class Divides
Formation of biological subspecies in the wild is usually caused by geographical isolation among species sub-populations. This may lead to clearly observable differences in anatomy or physiology. These disparate groups generally stop inter-breeding. While historians believe that several species within the Homo genus may have co-existed, the modern world has not seen any subspecies within Homo sapiens.
Now, if a portion of Earth’s population departed our planet in search of fresher pastures and permanently settled on an asteroid, a distant moon or even Mars, we could theoretically have a human subspecies in a few hundred thousand years. Scientists have categorically ruled out creation of a subspecies if our entire population continues intermingling on the Earth.
But the scientists have not spoken to the social scientists, have they?
An incontrovertible fact of human society as of today is that we are deeply divided. Technology may have enabled global connectivity that could not be imagined fifty years ago, but somehow, the more connected we get, the deeper the divide seems to run.
If the prevailing class divide and its associated privileges were extrapolated over the next million years, could we witness evolution of human subspecies right here on Earth? The gap between the rich and the poor is wider than ever, and like the ever-expanding universe, these social classes represent galactic super clusters moving apart with increasing acceleration.
Classes Divide; Fitness Denied
A parameter that tracks the increasing wealth disparity among classes is fitness among these social groups. Just like the rich getting richer, the fit seem to be getting fitter. But even as our species continues to invent every imaginable convenience, the average fitness levels of the human population don’t seem to improve much. And as companies finesse their approach to hacking the human brain to generate recurring revenue, achieving a higher collective level of fitness appears tougher now than in the harder yet simpler times of yore.
Fitness, unlike wealth, is not a parameter holistically defined by a single number. Or even a smattering of graphs on a dashboard. This makes its pursuit more difficult since most are not sure what they’re optimizing for.
As a consequence, fitness has come to mean different things to the different social classes. This explains the general attitude of the people towards fitness, and the resultant business models derived. While we agree that fitness is an ambiguous concept, let’s equate it to the simple idea of physical and mental well-being.
Four broad categories of human beings appear when we apply a crude framework to plot fitness against social class.
- The Fit Rich
These are the rich obsessed with optimizing for performance and productivity in their lives. They are convinced by the mystical promise of 5 AM cold showers, meditation and disciplined journaling. Their workout is as deeply ingrained in their daily lives as the 8 AM pour-over coffee ritual or the 3 PM tweet-threads about the Web3 revolution.
There is no limit to their ambition, and their body is a vessel that must be kept in tip-top condition as they transcend this planet, and perhaps consciousness, in a blaze of accomplishment. They listen to Joe Rogan to get hyped, and swear by Tim Ferriss’ advice on intermittent fasting, nutritional supplements and micro-dosing drugs. Their thoughts on going overboard on fitness? Eh, small price to pay for peak performance. - The Unfit Rich
These are the rich consumed with single-mindedly optimizing for wealth accumulation and material comfort. For matters that don’t directly contribute to these goals, they have velvet blinders on. Are they so obtuse that they never realize the harm their lifestyle might bring? Of course not. But being result-oriented means sacrificing long-term gains for short-term windfalls. - The Unfit Poor
The poor orchestrating the logistics of our blessed lives, yet far removed, are the poor engaged in menial jobs of the service or gig economy. While most of them are financially-poor as well, all of them are likely to be time-poor. For them, fitness is an indulgence of the time-rich and not something on their radar. And this stands to reason because when producing three square meals for your family is a daily struggle, the definition of fitness is limited to a good night’s sleep. - The Fit Poor
Finally, we have the poor who envy the lifestyle of their unfit cousins on the poverty scale — because a lack of fitness implies comfortable subsistence. These are the ones whose contributions to our society are hidden from view by metal sheets and partitions on construction sites. Engaged in hard graft, fitness is an undesirable by-product of their work lives.
In a world where robots never achieve widespread adoption for some reason (that we’ll leave for another day to speculate), the rich would see no reason for a change in status quo of this class pyramid. They would throttle the funnel that ensures a trickle down effect of the macroeconomy, thereby cementing their own place at the apex.
Social Clout and Branching Out
Consider this interplay of class and fitness, and its toll on human physiology into the future. Would it be outlandish to assume that we shall have four human subspecies — interacting and co-existing in society, but at a perpetual arm’s length from each other? Yes, it would be extremely far-fetched. But that should never stop us from hypothesizing.
The Fit Rich would form the self-proclaimed alpha subspecies: Homo sapiens chad. Picture high-IQ jocks high-fiving each other while chugging spirulina smoothies as they solve the world’s most pressing problems. The Chads are superior in every way and virtually indestructible, except for one vital flaw — their hubris.
The Unfit Rich would retreat from public eye into their subterranean lairs from where they influence the world economy, leaving thought leadership entirely to the Chads. They don’t care for the narrative, they follow the money. This subspecies: Homo sapiens jabba, named after Jabba the Hutt, are self-absorbed and relentless in their passion, but their reluctance to participate in the broader society brings them less hate on Twitter.
The Unfit Poor are the nameless, faceless butlers of the world, appearing and vanishing with the sound of a buzzer. Though their work is not as physically demanding, the psychological toll borne by these Homo sapiens genii, reminiscent of the portly genie from Aladdin, is huge.
At the lowest rung, we have the good-natured Homo sapiens sabu, affectionately named after Chacha Chaudhary’s alien accomplice Sabu. They are strongmen whose aspirations have been hammered out of their brains, perhaps literally. Their lobotomized bodies are exceptionally well-suited to labor, and the architects of the new world treat them like slaves, or worse, prized cattle.
This scenario is unlikely to come to pass. We might witness a progressive, left-leaning liberal arts curriculum enforced on every human child. Or we might build carbon-based automatons and eradicate poverty altogether. But how must our brains be rewired and reprogrammed to undo all the ingrained negativity? Only either a linear passage of time or the invention of a time machine will tell.
Fin.
