Random Thoughts on Selection, Natural Process and Sentience
Sentience is both a blessing and curse. We are able to plan and think and communicate on a greater level than any creatures before us and that has allowed us to be able to create vast and far reaching cultures. But the curse is that we can remember, we can be cursed to dwell on past events. Unlike a wildebeest that sees its brother get taken down and killed by a lion on the Serengeti and runs away and lives, it doesn't have the brain power to actually be able to dwell on his death and staying alive for another day and running away. That doesn't mean he doesn't register and mourn the loss, animals are easily capable of mourning but they are not afforded the time or brain cycles to overly dwell on the loss. If they did then they would be killed themselves and natural selection would weed them out of the gene pool. The process of life and living is a cold calculation, do this and live to live another day, do that and you're a lion's lunch.

It should be noted that the driving force of life is to continue that life. The most fundamental instinct any creature, plant or animal, is to live and make more. Everything else is secondary.

With the extra brain power to look forward and backward in time, humans exceed other creatures capabilities but it remains to be seen if it is an evolutionary advantage or disadvantage. The eyeblink of time we've been the dominant species on the planet isn't a compelling argument yet.

And Another New Word
A word to add to the lexicon.

Japanaise - a tasty but oily and yellowish bread spread made from Japanese tourists and whale blubber.