Antithesis - We are all Unique.
coming soon, synthesis
The 0.1% difference in human DNA between any two individuals corresponds to roughly 3 million base pairs out of about 3 billion in the human genome, and this small fraction of variation can yield an enormous range of differences among people.
People differ in height, hair color, eye color and other physical characteristics. People have different fingerprints and iris patterns. Even ear lobes are unique to each person.
Identical twins are not exactly the same. Although identical twins have the same genes, gene expression may vary. And each twin may have a few different DNA mutations. There may be differences in the womb experience. There will inevitably be differences in life experiences and choices made. Over time, indentical twins may become increasingly different.
Identical twins are often amazingly similar, but mothers and close relatives can still tell them apart easily. - Gerd Kempermann (Behavioral Geneticist)
The human microbiome numbers around 30 to 100 trillion cells and is shaped mostly by environmental factors. No two humans possess identical microbiomes. Microbiomes progressively diverge with age and differing life experiences, even among genetically identical individuals, as shared microbial strains diminish and unique strains accumulate over time. The microbiome significantly influences human behavior and mental health via biochemical and neural pathways linking the gut and brain, contributing to individual variation in personality, mood, and social functioning. Recent research indicates that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in regulating the body’s stress response.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the microbial communities living inside us have profound effects on our mental health and stress responses. - Kirsten Tillisch, researcher in gut-brain axis
No two people have exactly the same core cognitive abilities because these abilities are shaped by a mix of environmental influences, unique life experiences, epigenetic changes, and random developmental factors. Moreover, intelligence is not just one single skill. Theory identifies several types of intelligence, such as linguistic (language skills), logical-mathematical (reasoning), musical, spatial (visualizing), bodily-kinesthetic (physical coordination), interpersonal (understanding others), and intrapersonal (self-awareness). Each person has their own unique combination of these intelligences, meaning they excel in different areas making each person’s cognitive makeup truly unique.
It is not how smart you are that matters, what really counts is how you are smart.
Human beings are extraordinarily diverse in their ways of being intelligent.
Howard Gardner (originator of Multiple Intelligences theory)
We come from different places and we were born at different times.
There are over 500 cities in the world with populations exceeding 1 million inhabitants. There are an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 towns in the world with populations greater than 10,000 people. Approximately 42% to 43% of the world’s population still lives in rural areas. Big cities, towns and rural areas yield very different lived experiences. Being born in 1951, 1986 or 2001 yield very different lived experiences.
The country and the city ... are as different as morning and night. - Leo Tolstoy
There are five major religions in the world today. But there are an estimated 50,000 different religious denominations and sects globally. And there are at least as many major secular belief systems as there are major religions.
We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes and different dreams. - Jimmy Carter
Over 150 million books have been published throughout history with about 4 million being added annually. The total number of scholarly articles and research papers published globally annually is estimated to exceed 5 million. And now we have Substack which in a few years has become home for over 17,000 writers.
No two people can possibly be reading the same content.
The world of knowledge has been growing so fast that it is impossible for any single mind to encompass it. - J. Robert Oppenheimer
Social factors like socioeconomic status, education, family, and friends play a big role in what makes each person unique. A person’s income and living conditions affect their diet, stress levels, and access to healthcare, which can change their body and health in many ways. Education influences how people understand health and make choices, while family and friends shape their experiences, support, and behavior. These social influences interact with biology and genetics to create differences between people, shaping not only how they look and think but also how they feel and respond to the world around them. Together, these social factors add important layers to what makes each person truly unique.
There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever... it is the fate—the genetic and neural fate—of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death. - Oliver Sacks
Within us swirl constellations of memory and molecule, language and longing—a tapestry woven from chance, choice, and circumstance. In the grand symphony of existence, each of us is an unrepeatable melody, echoing once across the ages. To honor that is to cherish the wonder of being singular in a universe of possibility. - Perplexity