Kindness And Curiosity

I got email last week from Ancestry.com. They updated their analysis of where my ancestors came from. Ireland was decreased, Denmark and Norway disappeared but, as usual, England and northwest Europe, Germanic Europe, Scotland and Sweden came in strongly. Of course, it didn’t change anything, didn’t make me any different than I was before the update. It simply pointed out, once again, that virtually all of us are comprised of a mishmash of DNA soup so, even folks whose job it is to figure such things out aren’t completely positive what is completely correct. I do have one close friend whose report is always 100% one genetic heritage but, I suspect, he’s an anomaly.

We all start out with particular inclinations based on our genetics. From that point forward we all have different experiences and our perspective on those experiences is influenced by that heritage and how we are nourished.

There are infinite possible combinations of genetic DNA. Okay, not infinite but there are 8,234,608 possible combinations which is close enough. Then, when we factor in the possible combinations of experience, there’s no doubt each of us is unique. There’s only one of you, only one of me.

What we have in common is, we all are born, we are all human, we have hopes and dreams, successes and failures, we all die. We all exist on the infinitesimally tiny speck of rocky planet called Earth. We all depend on about six inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains for life. It is an exceedingly fragile existence.

Those facts alone should, rightfully, make us both humble and awestruck by the simple existence of one another. Every single person we meet in our lifetimes is unique, a treasure house of experience and existence.

Our religion should simply be kindness and curiosity, not competition and a stubborn insistence that any group of us is right and righteous.

I’ve been privileged recently to get to know someone who is vastly different from myself. His religious and political views are diametrically opposed to mine. His life experience has been vastly different. He has qualities I’ll never have, I have qualities he’s never had. I have respect for him for what he’s done with his life. He’s a good person, imperfect like all of us, but a good human being.

We’re reaching the end of another time of intense partisan conflict. We’ve been inundated with propaganda produced by experts in demonizing both individuals and entire groups of people.

We will have about two years before we will, once again, be as bombarded by mean spirited advertising as we have been lately. It would be nice if we could, at least to a small degree, put down our burdens of assumption formed by genetics and experience during the lull and simply appreciate one another.

Yes, there are some people of bad character out there as well as an overwhelming majority of good folks. So, let kindness and curiosity prevail, at least for a while.