Intelligent Design
On Sunday last week, I felt nauseous and had strong pangs in the right of my stomach. My doctor told me to rush to the hospital as he suspected appendicitis. He was right.
The appendix is a vestigial organ in our body. It once had a functional purpose to our ancestors but is no longer needed by their descendants. Now it remains as a shrunken flap of flesh at the end of our large intestine, it’s only purpose to inflame and spontaneously combust on the unwitting carrier. Unless it is removed in time.
No matter how healthy and fit we are, the appendix can turn on us in an instant. There is no prevention.
In fact, the appendix is a powerful argument for intelligent design, Darwin’s theory of evolution. We are creatures of sub-optimal design, we are not perfect. A product of an evolutionary tide that has washed up what we see in the mirror each morning.
As an argument from poor design1, we can apply this same theory to the products we build. To the campaigns we market. To the relationships we have.
Nothing is perfect, try as we might. What is lurking around in there that can explode at any given moment, destroying all our hard work?
There is so much kerfuffle that goes into building something. Features get added, then removed. Ads get optimised. Social media plans get revised. Our work is on a constant evolutionary path. Sometimes we leave behind vestigial parts, not realising they can could come back to bite us.
We can’t ignore potential pain points. Just like removing the appendix, we need to find and remove the thing that can unravel our work. Truth is, there is sure to be something there that can do just that.
Nothing is perfect.
