Surprisingly, humanity is still evolving, even physically. Moreover, we are accelerating our evolution. According to researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, who published their findings in the Journal of Anatomy, “A lot of people thought humans have stopped evolving. But our study shows we are still evolving — faster than at any point in the past 250 years.” As a result of this accelerated evolution, babies are being “born without wisdom teeth and with an extra artery in their arm, while other babies are born with shorter faces, smaller jaws and extra bones in their legs and feet,” they explain. These are not abnormalities; they are natural mutations in healthy babies.
But these changes indicate more than physical evolution. They reflect the profound transformation we are going through in our mindsets. Tomorrow’s children will differ from us in much more than an extra artery or fewer teeth. They will think differently, feel differently, communicate differently, and will therefore build a very different world. They will literally be a different species. We are now in the midst of a historic transformation, which is why humanity is so unsure about its future.
We are moving into an era where we will not feel ourselves as distinct individuals, but as an organism composed of myriad cells and organs spread out across the globe. The advancing globalization and interdependence we have witnessed over the past century will shift from the outside to the inside. We will feel connected not only in consuming commodities, but in our minds and hearts.
Already, the coronavirus pandemic has shown us that we are dependent on each other for our health. Gradually, we will learn that we are dependent on each other for our thoughts and feelings, our aspirations, dreams, and goals in life. We will discover that we cannot leave one part of the planet unattended since that would be as if we have neglected part of ourselves.
It is nothing like anything we’ve ever experienced. It is not communism or even socialism, but a new, social mindset of mutual accountability, a desire to feel close to all the people in the world simply because they really are a part of me.
Currently, we are baffled and afraid for our future. But anyone who fosters connection among people above all the differences should know that he or she is going in the right direction.
If we are afraid of diversity today, tomorrow we will embrace it. We will cherish those micro differences between us in our minds, bodies, cultures, faiths, and habits as they will enrich our lives with color and vitality.
The main attribute that is evolving in us now is our sociability. We are shifting from “survival of the fittest” to “survival of the friendliest.” The transition period may be tumultuous, but we can go through it quickly and pleasantly if we go through it together.
If we get through the next few years without destroying ourselves through war and bloodshed, we will come out the other end of the internal revolution strong, united, and happy. But this will happen only if we act in unison toward this goal. If we do not, then nature will impel us in its myriad horrendous ways to transform ourselves regardless of our wishes.
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