One step and we are on our way. Step after step, eventually some 60,000 years later, here we are today—a vast tapestry of beauty, both diverse and intimately connected. Everyone alive today is roughly 99% similar, genetically speaking. We can all trace our ancestry to the same clan, maybe even the same mom and dad that lived in African approximately 200,000 years ago. I recently watched a National Geographic documentary on The Genographic Project that explained how our ancestors started the migration and consequent diversification from Africa 60,000 years ago. I was struck by how important and magnificent this information is to those of us alive today. We are all the same—our differences are merely skin deep! There is no such thing as race; biologically speaking, we are of the same family. This news is warming, touching and just as some of the New Yorkers interviewed in the film were moved, so was I. Now in the midst of this truth, lest I fail to look around and see the dander and hostility that permeates humanity because of our superficial but very real differences, I (we) must turn and face the difficult question, how do we resolve our differences? How do we, as family, get along? Is peace only achievable through violence? There are more people alive today than ever before and consequently—for the good and bad—there are more differences than at any time in history. Maybe I should back up and ask, “Should we even try to get along?” I’d hope the answer to be common sense to most of you, even if you can’t find the exact words to answer why; for those who would choose to make a case for the answer being no, you’ll have to make a case that justifies the last 6,000 years of recorded violence.
So what are your thoughts? Can the knowledge that we are all very similar and linked ease tensions or even hate? I know everyone already has at least some conception that we have a common ancestor, but I am talking about seeing for yourself the steps unveiled by tracing concrete steps all the way back to our common ancestor, thanks to genetics. See for yourself, explore this website! There could be hang ups, for sure; among them, for some, will be the very concept of evolution that this genetic and biological information is rooted in. For many of my friends and family this may be a derailment. How unfortunate! This true story of our relatedness, brought to light by evolutionary research, is part of the reason I am so fascinated and supportive of learning and teaching evolution. It is not evil, nor humanistic; quite the opposite. It provides more detail and reveals more of the wonderful breadth, creativity and power of the Creator! Still, that conflict aside, some may point out that the barrier is that certain groups of people don’t share the same beliefs as themselves and because of this they can’t be the same…to seek common ground and admit similarity is compromise. Really? Is peace something only attained at the sacrifice of values? It seems the options are co-existing or annihilation (the natural end to escalating violence)? What sounds better to you? - derek
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