So I didn’t think there would be a part 4 to the whole DNA, Ancestry, Evolution of Beliefs, Soul series – but here we go.
We are all human – it’s our species. No matter where you are from, no matter your class is, no matter how you identify, you are human. That is the one thing that binds all people on this planet. It is an inescapable truth. Now every species on the planet has what is called Genetic Variances. It does not change the species, but does give it varying looks, abilities, and so forth. Genetic variance is crucial for the survival of a species. It is what allows for adaptation to deal with environmental changes, climate changes, varying environments, ability to deal with different viruses and bacteria. The less Genetic Variances, the less likely a species is to survive long term on this planet.
So what does Genetic Variances look like on the surface of humans? It incorporates things such as skin color, hair color, eye color, body shapes, skeletal structures, jawlines, noses, height, and I hope you see where this is going now. All of these things give a person advantages and disadvantages in general and in different environments. Someone with darker skin will fare better in places closer to the equator due to the radiation our sun gives off because the darker skin gives them a higher protection from the sun. It doesn’t mean they won’t have issues, but they will probably have less skin issues then a pale skinned person. It does not mean a pale skinned person can’t live in those environments, but they will probably have to take more precautions to protect their skin. Same for eye color, the lighter the color the more easily damaged by light they are, the darker, the more protected. A larger person will probably fare better in colder climates due to the extra layers they carry, while skinnier people will struggle more because they have less extra fat to keep warm. These are just a few examples of surface variants and there are a ton more – but at the end of the day these are variants – we are all still human.
Because people tend to perceive their world more through the eyes than any other sense, genetic variances became a tool of exploitation throughout history. People focused more on the differences, using them as a tool to separate people, and not celebrating those variants for what they truly are – the path to survival for the human species. We have to have them and we have to blend them between people (having babies). If we do not, then our genetics become too similar causing a host of issues, both internally and externally. We become more vulnerable to things such as climate change, virus mutations, and so forth. Species with small amounts of genetic variants die off – they do not survive long in this world – for this world is always changing.
There is a very good reason we marry outside of our families. If our genetics are too close in nature, the offspring we have will be less adaptable. Over time the really bad traits that cause physical defects and internal defects become more and more prominent. Without enough variants being introduced, those lines will die off because of disease or environmental changes.
We are all one species though – Human (Homo Sapien). So what would our world start to look like if we actually started looking at each other that way and treating each other that way? Where when we look at someone as a part of us, because we are all human.
Celebrating that we have differences, because if we don’t, humans will cease to exist.
This isn’t to say we stop being proud of our individual heritages, traits, the things that make us who we are as individuals. We celebrate and honor those things because they are a part of our individualism in this world. What has specifically made us who we are. We should celebrate those things, and the diversity in them, just as we celebrate the diversity of Genetics. That diversity between individuals and cultures is what makes our world rich and interesting. In the same way genetic diversity ensures the species continues – cultural / individual diversity ensures the people thrive and evolve as people in our world. If we were all the same, the species may survive, but we would become stagnant in our evolution. Each culture gives different perspectives, ideas, and inventiveness. A lot of this is born from need, and based heavily on the environment they live in.
A person who lives in the desert is going to get inventive when it comes to ensuring they have water to survive. Perhaps they create aqueducts from a nearby place of water to the place they live. This inventiveness and sharing of it with others who live near rivers and freshwater sources. It gives those people the means to spread out more and move further from their water source in order to create more farmable land. More farmable land means more crops to feed more people. Which turns into trading for other things that they don’t have or can’t acquire in their environment.
This trading between different people from different places leads to learning about other cultures/people. Through sharing they gain new perspectives and ideas pertaining more to societal issues. Perhaps one tribe has developed a really good system for sharing the workload and distribution of goods for their whole tribe. While another has a system where the people have to fend for themselves. Perhaps those that have to ensure they grow, hunt, and gather enough to feed their own families are having a low population issue because as an individual in that particular environment, and the changes in the environment, many are failing. So the failing tribe can learn from the thriving one, get ideas, even incorporate some of their practices, and use all that to create changes in order for their people to thrive again. It would also give them better chances to advance as a group because sharing the workload, specializing in areas, gives them more time to get creative.
This applies to cultures, regions, countries, religions, traditions, etc. If we all see and value each other as human – while personally celebrating and sharing our heritage, skills, cultures and the things that make us who we are as individuals – then I think many of our problems in the world would fade away. Perhaps I’m being idealistic – but I would rather be that then where I see us heading as a species.
Perhaps this will fly over many heads and go unnoticed or perhaps even misunderstood. It all sticks with me though and ideas I will keep passing on. I am human – you are human. We will have all kinds of differences and I am deeply grateful everyday that we do. You and I are not in competition. We each have our own special gifts and together can do amazing things. You and I are not meant to be the same. You and I have much to offer to each other – and offer the world when we come together.
We are the same when it comes to us as a whole – we are different when it comes to us as an individual – and that to me is an incredible thing to celebrate and love.