Documentary: "the journey of man, a genetic odyssey” essay

The world is diverse in every aspect. There are millions of living species in the world. Many of them have been discovered while others still remain a mystery. Human beings have elicited the greatest form of diversity in terms of the reaction of the differences in people of the world. Many studies have been conducted on the subject. Some try to piece together the origin of this diversity, and others try to teach us how to embrace the differences that are in the world. It is imperative that people do acquire this knowledge as it is not only but also empowers people.

The Journey of Man, a Genetic Odyssey by Spencer Wells is an informative documentary where the author explains his theory of the origin of man using genetics. The hypothesis is intensely intriguing and, while he presents convincing facts on the matter, I would take the information with a grain of salt. Wells says that all the people originated from a single man who passed his Y chromosome to future generations, and they continued passing them. Along the way, the genes developed mutation, which he attributes to the differences in the races of the world today. People moved from Africa 50000 years ago and spread across the world. As they did this, the mutations in their bodies took place, and this caused changes in the skin color.

The author states that racial differences are only skin deep and that genetic technology shows that it will lead to convergence, and people will look the same. There has been controversy in the hypothesis because scientists have been found to be bowing to the social pressures of the day. In this case, Wells agrees to prevent racism. Many critics have cited massive differences in races and utterly refuting the case of racial differences being skin deep. An instance given is using intellectual capabilities that have shown particular races to have this characteristic. Moreover, experimentation with dogs, which have high genetic similarity to human beings, shows significant differences in intelligence, and body formation. The critics have shown that the book is merely a distortion of scientific facts to favor the social aspiration of the world.

The world is becoming diverse, and there is a continued embracement of the differences in people. Modern times have seen the disregard of judgment as a result of one’s belonging. This has been clearly shown in the election of the United States President, who has a remarkably diverse heritage and belongs to the minority. Indeed, demographic statistics have shown the growth of cultures in the United States. As mentioned, there is a vast diversity in the world in gender, sexual orientation, age race, ethnicity, and social class. Their recognition of this diversity requires one to be sensitive in order not to sound discriminative or a stereotype towards another’s classification. It is imperative that one remains sensitive to this in order to prevent conflict. There have been many differences that are observed in the cultures of different people.

For instance, values embraced by the various age groups, tolerance, political organizations of various ethnic groups and cultures. On the other hand, there have been similarities in all groups of the world, especially concerning morality and the value of human life. The author presents a convincing case for the reader. Indeed, the text is immensely relevant because people have to know how to get along with people who are of different groups. This will prevent unnecessary conflict and ensure that parties have the skills to do this effectively. The author mentions the need for motivation to learn and get along with others. This, I believe, is immensely vital and may be lacking due to raising and stereotype thoughts and attitudes towards various groups.

These works are related in various ways. They attempt to explain the subject of diversity, one from a historical perspective and the other in a futuristic approach. The books agree in various areas. For instance, there is the case of the importance of language in culture. Wells says that they are not only a way for communication, but can also tell of the culture and the speaker’s intellectual capability. Wells shows that, after the exodus from Africa, the split group lost the click sounds of the San dialect. However, Alghamdi shows that there is a universal language that is communicated non-verbally.

He gives the example of a non-English speaker who asks for directions from a shopkeeper who cannot speak English. The latter explains this but also points to a map that they could use. They could tell it was a tourist. We can also see the continuous growth and evolution of diversity. Will shows that people originally stayed in the Kalahari as the San, then some moved away, and then there was the creation of races. Alghamdi then says that several diversities are sexual orientation and also social class. These are differences that have come up in the modern world due to change in social norms and trade.

Diversity is indeed wide. Through modern science, we are able to trace the history of mankind. It is imperative that we embrace these diversities and appreciate each other as we come. This is to prevent conflict and tensions among people.