HE HUSTLES

existed. We love to express our differences! We have so many languages, cultures, and unique expressions that it would take several lifetimes to explore them all For example, people in the Indus Valley 9,000 years ago first began to express their yoga practice in art. We are still practicing this form of self-exploration today On the other hand, the device I wrote this from was barely imaginable when I was born It boggles the mind how many possibilities we’ve already explored, yet we have barely begun to scratch the surface!

Biologically we are more or less all the same Race is a tiny box that, aside from being proven completely false from a biological perspective, cannot possibly begin to describe the real diversity that exists in us. Human diversity comes from the urge to self-express and the boxes that we try to fit each other into (race and gender included) are for lazy, unimaginative minds Humans are meaning-making animals The brain naturally tends to fill in something we don’t know with a simple answer Race appeals to this tendency. Our skin color and other superficial features are an accident of where our ancestors evolved Skin color has nothing to do with other abilities, tendencies, practices, or preferences etc Our species began in Africa and lived there for the first 100,000+ years So the greatest human diversity can be found in Africa When you consider this, it becomes clear that the whole idea of race is a fallacy To lump the most diverse continent into a single group is ridiculous To look at Asia, the largest and most populous continent, and then lump everyone there together into one group is even more ridiculous Gender is similarly oversimplified Many societies have had a role for non-binary genders since long before Europeanderived patriarchy became the dominant world power.

It is the tendency of our society to break diversity down into simple groups based on superficial traits, it has nothing to do with biology It is a holdover from colonialism and Enlightenment-based thinking The Enlightenment is responsible for some of the greatest scientific advancements, but it is also responsible for our tendency to think of ourselves as isolated and separate and subject to exploitation The time for this way of thinking has passed b When we look at how we evolved and became a dominant species, what is clear is that it is our sociality, our dependency on one another, that is our superpower One person alone is not very impressive. They cannot do very much, there is not exceptional strength or ability There is intelligence, but what good can we do with it alone? It is in our ability to work together, to coordinate our actions that we excel as a species I teach a class called the Evolution of the Social Brain, where we go through all of the exceptional structures in the human nervous system that other animals don’t have They are almost entirely devoted to connecting with each other, predicting each other’s behavior, and understanding each other. Why would we have evolved all of these adaptations if we were meant to be separate, isolated individuals? We are meant to connect With each other With other groups and nations With plants and animals c In other words, biologically, we are all one We evolved to be together, not separate. It is not “to each his own”, it is I give myself to you and the world to further our evolution and our health and the health of the planet This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for diversity On the contrary, it means that we are diverse because we all have a different part to play and we all add something unique and valuable to the great tapestry of life.

How does anthropology (Race and Gender) play a role in business culture?

Anthropology helps us understand human behavior Human systems Our strengths and weaknesses What is true or false about our understanding of human nature and what humans might be capable of When we understand who we are and how we can best work together, how can business not benefit?

Anthropology is a tool to help us understand human systems and human interactions, so it’s a tool that every business person needs Anthropology is a tool that helps us step outside ourselves and our society to find out what we’re lacking and where other humans have already solved the problem we're having Who doesn’t want a tool like that?

Tell us about your venture into healing arts? I was drawn to shamanic healing more than 20