Y’know, I remember watching a nature show (on Disney, I think) as a youngster about Lemmings. This particular bunch of the cute little rodents, which live in many places across the globe, was apparently from Norway.The shows told us that the Lemmings would do what they do—eat, multiply, repeat—until there was no longer enough “resources”. Then there would be a mass migration to their ultimate doom: the whole herd plunges off of a cliff into the sea.*This mass suicide was their way to control the population, a sort of natural correction of the Lemming world where greed, gluttony and lasciviousness would ultimately threaten their very existence.I also remember wondering—after the initial shock of collective hari-kari of Chip and Dale’s cousins—if there was a Lemming or two that, while running with the mob, paused long enough to contemplate what was happening. And I pictured what it would be like if it was me… “Ouch, I have a cramp. No, it’s OK. You guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”**Anyway, wouldn’t a smart Lemming, recognizing the futility of that existence, skip the big plunge and talk to the next groups of Lemmings about re-thinking how they did things? After all, if too many of the Lemmings didn’t come back from the road trip, they’d cease to exist.So, to preserve the species, some foresight and planning and behaviour change in the new Lemming world would be in order. The logic would, of course, be to adapt to the way the world is, as opposed to living in the past.If you haven’t noticed the analogy yet, it isn’t much different than what is happening in the pharmacy world. Some of the Lemmings insist that we want the world to stay the same. Except that the food is getting scarcer, and more creatures are competing for it. Those that adapt have a chance to survive, if not thrive. Those that don’t, well, it’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.*I know that science has advanced since then, but please suspend your belief because it makes the story more interesting.**Which reminds me, what is the best thing to bring into the woods to protect you from a bear attack? Someone who runs slower than you and is preferably smeared with honey.
