We have been conditioned to think that evolution is a bad and controversial thing.... No, no... Let me change that... I apologize. I have been conditioned to think that evolution is a bad thing! I do not know how this came to be. But, it cemented itself in my mind as a child and grew up with me. As soon as I heard the word evolve or evolution, Darwin's Theory of Evolution (with an image of the monkey becoming a man) and The Big Bang theory (with an image of an explosion in space) would cryptically creep into my mind and I would immediately get upset and offended. As a child, I would feel as if an evil had been spoken and I would be in trouble. As an adult, I thought I would be banished to hell for merely questioning the validity of either theories. Sounds strange... I know. But, that's what conditioning does. As a young adult I had a secret question and answer session with myself and, subsequently, freed myself getting in trouble and going to hell: Question #1: If monkeys evolved into humans, why are there still monkeys? Answer: Because God loves monkeys, and He wants them around. Question #2: If humans evolved from monkeys, why haven't humans evolved into something more intelligent and advanced? Answer: Because the only thing more intelligent and advanced than the homosapien is..... GOD! Question #3: If the Big Bang created the Universe, what caused the Big Bang? Answer: GOD! MIC DROP..... That little session suppressed the angst I had with evolution and kept it in the back of my mind for over twenty years - until my youngest child developed an interest Pokemon last year... I met the advent of Pokemon in my sons life with stark criticism based of the explosive reaction Christians had when It came to the United States in 1998. I can still see the cover of a magazine I saw in the grocery store: "Do Not Pokemon Your Child's Mind!" Because Christians were against it, my children were forbidden from everything Pokemon. Twenty-one years later, my nine- year son was asking me why he couldn't play Pokemon Go and all I could say was "because when your sister and brothers were little 'they' said it was evil". He had a sad, discouraged look of confusion on his face that hurt my feelings. I felt terrible because I knew nothing about Pokemon but was trying to stand in a position of authority based on the conditioning I received from others. I explained to him what happened when Pokemon came to the States and that I followed what Christians said without learning for myself. I also apologized to him for basing my decisions for his life on what happened in my past. I researched the origin and history of Pokemon, watched the movies with him and gave him space to explain it to me in his words. He showed me Pokemon Go and showed me how it is played. We had fun as he tried his hardest to get me to understand CP and HP values, GX cards, Megas, Shinys, the Pokedex, battles and raids. We laughed hysterically while he was introducing me to the individual Pokemon and their unique names! But, we hit a snag when he said: OK mom, (showing me a card) this "strange name" Pokemon evolves into this "even stranger named" Pokemon. AWWW.... SNAP! He said that word: EVOLVES I lost it! "Evolves as in EVOLUTION?", I shrieked. The look on his face was funnier than me trying to pronounce Charizard for the first time! He looked like I had evolved into a "strange named", loony 40-something mom. I was about to gather up every Poke' card and set fire to it, when his sweet voice said, "Mom, it just means they are going to become bigger, better and stronger versions of themselves." THUNDEROUS MIC DROP.... followed by cricket clicks in the background. Wow! "Changing into something bigger, better, and stronger". I sat there frozen in time. I had a life paradigm shift because my nine year old had just used a game to make me realize that what I have been trying to do myself and encourage other people to do was something that I had mentally avoided all of my life. In an instant the barrier of my conditioning with evolution was torn down and enlightenment flooded my mind. We are all evolving!!! Now don't you sit there at look at this screen like I'm crazy! I'm referring to the desire to transform our lives into the greatest versions of ourselves possible - physically, mentally, and emotionally! As I sit here thinking of my son playing Pokemon Go, I have a new appreciation for the careful way he chooses which Pokemon he will use against certain opponents and when he chooses to evolve them. It makes me think of my life and how I'm learning which battles to engage in and which ones to walk away from. Also, how things that hurt me in the past mean absolutely nothing to me now because I've evolved into a bigger, better, and stronger Asha!!! I'd say I'm up there with Pikachu GX with an HP (Hit Points = how much damage a Pokemon can take) of 160! HA! CHECK ME OUT!!! I'M LEARNING AND EVOLVING! YOUR TURN ;)