Just Beat It

I came across an interesting fact the other day. It's about animals so 'ran across' is probably a better phrase rather than ran over or into. Cereal box fact 196: Did you know each animal's concept of time is determined by its heartbeat. It puts the concept of marching to your own drum in context, although granted it's an animal context.

Case and point - the sepeotic fly (invented insect). This fly, or a real world equivalent would be born, enjoy its idyllic childhood, first kiss, graduate university, marry a childhood sweetheart in a tasteful ceremony, work for years, raise a dysfunctional family, buy a condo off the plan, retire, watch copious Golden Girls reruns and die approximately 325855585 times by the time you've read this article. The blue whale (obviously not invented) on the other hand will only experience a single heartbeat during the course of this hour, which depending on how slowly you read, may also be within the spectrum of you finishing this article.

The same must apply for humans. There are those content to beat once an hour, grunt and change the tv channel, others that scream around town at break neck speed. Men beat at a different rate to women, each culture has its own riff and the old and the young differ again. But what makes us beat as a simple human animal? You know, in general. What denotes what speed we move through life as homo sapiens? Once we've got that nailed, then can we confront the question of what flicks the auto-pilot higher or lower like an expensive Mercedes? What makes us rock to the rhythm of The Killers, Fat Boy Slim or The Rolling Stones?

What is your beat of choice? Not soundtrack of choice, not band of choice, but heart beat of choice? I think I want to be the sepeotic fly (invented insect). I think it gets a pretty good deal, life is no less complete its just more intense, and yes, granted shorter - but whatever, that's the price you pay I guess. It's like a James Dean life style for those with multiple legs. Anyway, I'm better at break neck speed even as an invented animal.