I always think people behave insanely, but then I recall casual conversations I’ve had with pharmaceutical-industry employees. So many of us are on prescription medicines, especially Oxycodone and Vicodin and other painkillers. More than we might suppose. Then I’m surprised that we don’t act even more off-the-wall. Have we silently become the walking dead, or does the impulse to dose, despite the short-term ramifications, augur well for the future of human enhancement? The opening of “Is Drug Addiction Part of Human Evolution?” Sasha Wolfe’s h+ essay about the hidden meaning of the dosages we consume:

“The human mind may be a wondrous and expansive thing that is constantly learning and adapting itself to the changing universe that surrounds us. Nonetheless human beings have a habit of becoming unsatisfied with our surroundings. Dealing with mental anguish and boredom has always been one of our greatest challenges as a species. To meet these challenges many of us have resorted to the use of recreational drugs in an effort to either expand our minds, embrace new experiences or simply to nullify the pain that life has inflicted upon us. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians mankind has sought out, cultivated and harvested a wide variety of recreational drugs to satisfy our cravings, alleviate our shortcomings and nullify our insecurities. The more advanced we evolve as a species the more sophisticated and widespread our involvement in the drug culture. But if we are to believe the teachings of Darwin about evolution, the strongest of the species will always thrive and dominate over the weaker of the species. Hence, given the proliferation of drug use with the technological advancement of our society, we must ask ourselves some fundamental questions. Is the use of recreational drugs just part of the human condition, and to that end is drug addiction actually part of our natural evolution as a species?”