We're All Related

Morning All,

Jackson here.

I've been fortunate enough in my life to do a great deal of traveling. And while I haven't been everywhere, I have been to a lot of wheres, and one of the things that's always stood out to me is the way that certain faces pop up again and again on folks all around the world.

You're standing there looking at a crowd of people walking by, and you think: "hey, that looks like Mike! Fuzzier eyebrows and darker skin, but that's Mike!"
Pretty soon, you're seeing Mike-variations everywhere you look.

Well, as it turns out, that because in all likelihood those multiple doppel-Mikes all share a common ancestor. To go one step further, we ALL share a common ancestor.

Just saw this on cnn.com:

Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says

"The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated that the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.

"This study illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species' history," said Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society explorer in residence.

"Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA."

Did you get those numbers?
2,000 people. Roughly half men and half women, are the mitochondrial grandparents of every human being you pass on the streets. The cat who sells you your paper and coffee in the morning? That's your long lost grand-cousin, thrice removed.

That's why we can't keep harming one another. Using violence on your fellow human beings is like smacking your brother or sister: bad manners.

Look around at the faces you pass during your day, for these are the faces of your family.

Love to all,

-Jackson