Are We More Alike Than We Think?

While completing my third week discussion post I was led to the National Geographic website.  I saw an advertisement about the Genographic Project and decided to click to find details about the project. National Geographic in partnership with IBM has created The Genographic Project whose goal is to attempt to collect and analyze over 100,000 DNA samples from all over the world over a multitude of years.   (Genographic Project, 2011) While learning about how our ancestors migrated across the world. 

The kit is delivered with instructions of how to complete a DNA sample.  One the sample has been completed it is sent in anonymously to a lab to be processed with results. The ability to take your DNA and see how your ancestors navigated the world is fascinating. On one side, I thought this was a really cool project and I was kind of anxious to see what results it produced.   

Another part of me had a small bit of caution with partaking in this project.  My first cautionary aspect is that there is a United States/Canada and International kit.  This kit can be purchased for $99.95 and is available on the National Geographic website.  If you are really trying to get a true sample for your project they are effectively eliminating the world population that is impoverished, without computer access, and without a credit card.  Unless National Geographic has a way to capture additional information through another medium they seem to be limiting their information pool for their project.

My other concern is a lot of what I know about my family’s migratory path comes from conversations that I have had with my grandparents and even great grandparents.  Those conversations by the wood stove on both of my grandparents’ farms gave me the indication of who we were and where we came from.   I am sure that with any story that is passed down from generation to generation there are changes or omissions that take place over time.  While I don’t think that any of my grandparents’ deliberately were untruthful, any truly good story comes with some embellishments.  There is that twinge of concern if I participate in the project that my grandparents’ stories will be null and void.  What if the results are completely different that my grandparents’ stories?  I would much rather hold onto to conversations than gain insightful knowledge from the Genographic Project.

I am still undecided if I will participate in this project but I think that the premise of the project could encourage a more geographical outlook for everyone.  One of my favorite sayings is that we are more alike than we think and this project may be on the way to actually proving that fact.

References

The genographic project.  (2011).  Retrieved March 31, 2012 from

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/lan/en/index.htm

What Value Do I Add?

That is a difficult question and honestly I dislike the question here as much as I dislike it while conducting my annual self performance appraisal.  Since I can’t procrastinate to the last minute like I normally do with a self appraisal I am going to dive into the process.  My greatest strength lies in being a culturally diverse person. Throughout my life I have lived in geographically different locations in the United States and overseas.  Each place in which I have lived has given me an overview of culture, traditions, and beliefs from a city, state, and country level.  I understand how culture, traditions, and belief can shape human behavior.

I enjoy learning about different culture, traditions, and beliefs through conversation.   I do not necessarily enjoying learning about this information in a classroom/reading format.  My preference is being able to sit down with someone and discuss their family traditions around something as simple as what they eat during the holiday season.  Food is a universal topic in my opinion because everyone eats food.  It is just the type of food is different from geographic locations and cultures. There are so many traditions that are ingrained food and food customs.

These types of conversations always lead to insight about a person, what they hold important, and why they hold something to be important.  For example last year I had a conversation with my co-worker about her holiday traditions.  This conversation stemmed from her Swedish roots and included their traditional Swedish smorgasbord.  Amazingly, because of the conversation she has invited me and my family to take part in the tradition next year. My family and I will get to experience something we would never have had the opportunity to experience otherwise.

What concerns me about this class is the religion aspect of things.  I do not consider myself a deeply religious person.  In fact, I consider myself a spiritual person that believes that there is in fact a higher being but do not define them as God or Allah.   Religion can produce such a heated discussion that it is listed among the topics that you should avoid at work, right next to politics. I know that sometimes I am not as open as I can be around religious discussions.  I do not have an aversion to learning the history of a particular religion but sometimes the history of a religion can be in debate.  In this course I will need to make a concerting effort to remain open to a topic that I know I have a bias about.

I feel that this class will be better with me in the class because I bring my own unique beliefs and experiences to the table.  Conversely, I think that this class will be better with everyone in this course.  We all have our own beliefs and experiences and we can learn from each other.  Our experiences together can spark a different view of the world that help promote change in ourselves, others, and the communities in which we live.