If you consider the various references I have made within Destiny to our individual and tribal differences, it will be obvious to you that I believe we are certainly not equal in inherited aptitudes or other physical advantages or disadvantages. We also differ markedly because of the environment into which we are born and in which we develop our worldview and our cosmic view. These differences cause us to differentiate ourselves from others and others from us. Differentiation results in us seeking the security of our tribe. It is within that group that we find most in common and the highest levels of comfort and acceptance. In microcosm, that is the reason why we normally respond most positively and most often to our immediate family members. It is also the reason we have the most difficulty adapting to cultures or tribes least like us.

Differentiation is also a foundation reason for us to work to our tribal advantage at the expense of other tribes. Thus, we have notable problems in mixed societies with racism and ethnic prejudice. Egalitarian thinkers have attempted to influence our behaviors in that regard so that we can learn to value our differences, i.e. diversity, and learn to live together with mutual respect. The goals of mutual respect and fair treatment of each other are in fact very good, for we do share this planet with many different tribes. But those same goals are difficult to achieve opposite self-interest, for many of the security aspects of our existence are legitimately viewed as a zero-sum process, for instance, desirable, available land.

In the world of science, we learn that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. When you apply that fact to its logical societal counterpart, it means whoever populates a geographic area will, by simple physics, determine that others will not. In the absence of wars of conquest, any given tribe will simply continue to exist and populate, until and unless they overwhelm the environmental resources available to them. In the workplace, we compete with each other to maximize our financial and power space. So, it is a given that by our very nature and the reality of the physical world that we will work against each other's interests to obtain what we want, for we rightfully perceive that opportunities for power, space and money are limited.

The efforts to teach us mutual respect at the individual level, and global appreciation of national sovereignty and cultural practices, are clearly well-intended, for by our appreciation of common purpose we avoid continuous war and achieve a limited amount of personal security. What we do not achieve, however, is the solution to the basis of differentiation. There is nothing in the ideology, philosophy or religion, of any country or cultural group, at any time in history, which successfully addresses differentiation. We value our differences, and through self and mass deception, we continue to compete to each other's detriment and our own gain.

Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, justifies our self-oriented or selfish behaviors as the sensible way to be. Thus, altruism is seen as foolish. We do not have a responsibility to promote the wellbeing of others simply because they exist, nor do they have any obligation to promote our wellbeing. Rand's point is hard to argue with at a practical level. She was being entirely realistic. If you accept what we are through inherited abilities and cultural differentiation, and our limited abilities up to this point in history to change those differences, one would be foolish to be less than he/she can be on behalf of sharing everything equally with all other people.

It is exactly the reality of our differences as individuals that I address within Destiny. Life is not fair and we are not equal. Human rights as perceived as given by virtue of a person being born is a goal characterized by absurd optimism. It is founded on the principle that life itself is the measure of worth and the basis of inalienable rights. At least in the USA. No matter how appealing this concept sounds, it is not realized in real life. All of us know that to be true. To say that we have the right to be equally successful is utterly empty, and says nothing about the reality of our individual inherited and environmental limitations. The only issue addressed by the USA founders (all men are created equal) was the issue of social discrimination, not the issues of birth circumstance or inherited limitations. Thus, our "rights" differ markedly in results, based on our individual abilities and the circumstances of our birth, once we move from concept to action. Our challenge is to change these facts of life, for we want life to be fair so that we all might prosper.

Other social theorists have hypothesized that we might become equal through equal opportunity. Taken to the extreme, we would all be cookie-cutter identical. I hope that you understand that the wishes of those theorists, however fair, cannot be realized at a practical level without actual change at a biological level and an experiential level to each of us. No, we do not have to look alike, nor do we have to have identical interests. We do have to have equivalent, inherited aptitudes and a basic learning ability that dwarfs our current limits, and educational opportunity.

This is the reality-based type of thinking that is needed to promote our use of research and applied technology to our mutual benefit. This is the basis for re-evaluating all that we have today in social systems, ideologies, laws, cultural perceptions and practices. We are not and cannot be successful in growing Humanity equitably until we accept the concept of our self-advancement through physical evolution. Let us get on with the job, so that Rand's view of the appropriateness of self-centered life, to the exclusion of responsibility for others, is no longer a sensible reality.

Let us also realize that high aptitudes alone are no guarantee of living good values. Conversely, lack of higher, equal aptitudes is a guarantee of perpetuating our social problems. My life experiences with many different types of people caused me to conclude that high intelligence and advanced knowledge are the forerunners of cooperative growth. Limited intelligence and limited knowledge are what cause us to atrophy early in life, i.e. stop our growth and circle the wagons around our limited environments. Our inability to understand, and to compete effectively, drives us to defensiveness, and defensiveness does not lead to new knowledge or enhance our values. Those of us who are honest about our limitations do not tend to be warriors, however, regardless of level of intelligence or education. Value formation is a critical part of understanding and preparing for Destiny, i.e. our future. It will be aided though not guaranteed by increased aptitudes for all of us. Destiny mandates living good values, and you will learn more about that requirement in the Responsibilities of Religions and Responsibilities of Individuals chapters and in the Appendix articles.