Diversity is the antidote to hunger, destruction, violence and injustice
Respected scientist Johan Rockström, in his 7-minute TED Countdown talk, emphasizes that the foundations of our civilization depend on two key elements: a stable climate and rich biodiversity. However, for centuries people have created a fantasy in which homogeneity is desirable, in circumstances that in genetics the identical leads to the expression of deleterious, abnormal genes and impaired capabilities.
In matters of humanity at a global level it is evident how we have mistreated anyone who does not resemble a white person. As an anecdote, a senior Brazilian executive of a multinational company, with a white complexion and abundant black hair, told me a few days ago how impressed he is by how he becomes two different people just by crossing the line from the Equator. If he crosses it to the south, he is considered a tremendously respectable person. When he crosses it to the north, he becomes a potential Islamic terrorist. The fact is that, in addition to race, we have sought to homogenize our culture, where the Western model of life (the so-called American dream) has been imposed even on European, Asian and ancestral native cultures from all continents, thus losing an enormous cultural wealth that had been built up over centuries.
If we look at our food, the data is pathetic. Of the more than 300,000 edible species, we feed on a handful of approximately 200 (less than 0.07%). In turn, we have killed 83% of wild mammals, 80% of marine animals, 50% of plants, and 15% of fish. In terms of vertebrate animals, 60% of what exists today on earth are farm animals. 36% are humans, and only 4% are wild animals. Worse still, poultry (mainly of 2 types) now accounts for 70% of all birds on the planet. When we look at the breeds of cattle, pigs or salmon, it also boils down to very few breeds. In other words, even among the same species that we feed on, we have sought to homogenize them in order to maximize the necessary food production for a growing population. But currently over 820 million people in the world go to sleep hungry, while over 1.9 billion people in the world are overweight. By winning the battle, we are losing the war.
At least in the culinary expression of this drama, we have a tremendous opportunity. Exotic dishes are being celebrated all over the world today, in circumstances where boring diets were very common until very recently. If we humans learn from our mistakes and are truly intelligent, we should raise our heads and begin to restore biodiversity, starting with the dramatic loss of soil richness in most parts of the world.
But diversity is not only understood as a biological factor linked to species and races. It is also expressed in gender, ideas, beliefs, lifestyles, views, tastes, trends. We need to embrace those who think differently because their ideas enrich us. We must be concerned if I surround myself only with people who think the same as me because even the algorithm of social networks will make fun of me. Diversity is an antidote to violence and intolerance. Genetically, diversity often brings the greatest improvements in all areas. Diversity is also key to virtuous dialogue, and as Alfredo Zamudio of the Nansen center says, such dialogue is reserved mostly for the brave.
