The Difference Between You and Me
I respect a person who is able to understand that their life experience adds up to something different than my own. At the very least, I know that this person has contemplated our mutual differences to an extent that they would realize that life experience, in general, matters tremendously in shaping who we are, though I expect many would tend to ignore my experience, completely, in favor of their own. But, at least they are aware of the difference. And maybe they also understand that there is a cause for those differences. At least, one cause among many.
We’re all going to find differences among ourselves. It’s impossible not to, I think. We’re all, within ourselves, introspects, and we are living outwardly among our kind. For reasons that involve simple matters of survival as we live outwardly, we must be wary of those who are different, because differences are always the most dangerous to our personal safety. Sometimes dangerous to our existence.
So, when confronted with someone new, we look for the differences. Each of us, having inherited a survivor's mindset from our ancestry, will use that power to actively seek out the differences we can see in others. And we evaluate those differences. And we obsess about those differences. And, after we’ve obsessed enough, we may, after all, decide to let ‘em in anyway, despite those differences.
As we let more in, our community grows.
That’s all well and good. I understand all of this. But, I also believe that understanding something gives us the power to control it.
So, in my typical fashion, I flip this whole idea on its head and propose that, rather than seek out our differences, we should instead notice how much the same we all are. Why not start taking stock in our similarities? Why not consider that I have two-legs and five-senses, also, and let’s all build on that?
It’s not the differences that really matter. It’s how much the same we are.
Genetically, there’s less than one-percent difference between chimpanzees and humans. If we’re 99% the same as them, how close do you think you and I are?
Would you be impressed if I told you we are at least 99% the same? Would you think that that is worth building on?
We’re all going to find differences among ourselves. It’s impossible not to, I think. We’re all, within ourselves, introspects, and we are living outwardly among our kind. For reasons that involve simple matters of survival as we live outwardly, we must be wary of those who are different, because differences are always the most dangerous to our personal safety. Sometimes dangerous to our existence.
So, when confronted with someone new, we look for the differences. Each of us, having inherited a survivor's mindset from our ancestry, will use that power to actively seek out the differences we can see in others. And we evaluate those differences. And we obsess about those differences. And, after we’ve obsessed enough, we may, after all, decide to let ‘em in anyway, despite those differences.
As we let more in, our community grows.
That’s all well and good. I understand all of this. But, I also believe that understanding something gives us the power to control it.
So, in my typical fashion, I flip this whole idea on its head and propose that, rather than seek out our differences, we should instead notice how much the same we all are. Why not start taking stock in our similarities? Why not consider that I have two-legs and five-senses, also, and let’s all build on that?
It’s not the differences that really matter. It’s how much the same we are.
Genetically, there’s less than one-percent difference between chimpanzees and humans. If we’re 99% the same as them, how close do you think you and I are?
Would you be impressed if I told you we are at least 99% the same? Would you think that that is worth building on?