Survival of the fittest

Sometimes I wonder how certain genetic traits survived in my bloodline 'til now.

For example, I can wear glasses, contacts, and get laser surgery. But my predecessors would have just been blind.

As in too blind to see the Saber Tooth Tiger.

And, of course, I have a ridiculous pain tolerance. Which, I'm certain probably allowed my ancestors to survive many of the injuries they received from stuff they couldn't see.

But, the pain tolerance has drawbacks too. How so? You might ask.

Well, the roof of my mouth is blistered this morning. From the dinner that was too hot to eat. It felt hot in my mouth, but I was very hungry. So, despite E, who I know to be a much better judge of these things saying, "this is too hot to eat," I still shoveled it into my mouth.

Maybe it was my ancestors' uncanny ability to sit close enough to the fire to get burned without realizing it that saved them from the animal attacks and warriors they couldn't see coming.