As the turmoil all over the world has unfolded in the past few weeks I have taken an observatory seat. I don’t always like to state my blatant opinions for fear of the backlash they might receive. I also find myself cautious at stating any opinions without having all of the facts. What I do know is that over the past few weeks I have seen people from all walks of life offering their sentiments and condolences to those affected by various shootings and acts of hate across the world. In these times of turmoil, it seems as though there is unity and also a clear divide. There are those who stay true to their political, religious or constitutional beliefs no matter the situation and those that are willing to admit that previously held beliefs might be wrong. The question of gun control is one that has been on everyone’s minds, mine included. There is the question of racial bias and just general hate, and why it exists in a world that seems so advanced in a lot of ways can seem so archaic in others.

Then I came across this video on Facebook that I watched out of curiosity, not because I was looking for a side to take. I think that in this world we should be able to find the silver lining and the love in the midst of hate. I would like to believe that there is some meaning in all of these terrible things that seem to be happening, and yet I was at a loss. Honestly, this video changed my perspective because it shifted the conversation in my head away from politics altogether. So before you continue with this article I strongly urge you to watch this video so that you can fully appreciate the feeling that I am talking about. Otherwise, the rest of my article will simply not make sense because from here on out I am going to reference it.

Everyone has a self-identity, it’s a part of what makes us, us. Some people identify by a certain fandom, or religion, or political view, or ethnicity. This video seeks to demonstrate the obvious identities that people hold true to themselves. Identities that you might have been able to guess based on appearance, whether right or not. The interesting question that the interviewers ask is if there is an ethnicity or people of a certain country that they would assume they wouldn’t get along with. In the year 2016, you might think that would be a hard question to answer, and yet everyone seemed to be able to name a group of people they think as an individual they wouldn’t get along with. Then the interviewers challenged everything these participants knew, they sampled their DNA and pointed out that somewhere deep in their DNA embedded into who they are as people, they held the genes of the very groups of people they assumed they would feel hostility towards.

I think that this is something that we need to keep in mind every day of our lives. That even in the times when hate is something that society is almost encouraging, that in the end, we share some part of our DNA. It’s hard to put into words the impact that this video left on me, but I think I felt a sense of peace. I felt like maybe if more people can change their frame of mind, if maybe we can take a step back from the hate and view each other as people, that will make all the difference.