CONTEXT
Much of human cooperation appears to present an evolutionary conundrum; it seemingly improves the fitness of others at a personal cost. Nonetheless, cooperation is astoundingly common among humans, and it is only with conscious foresight that we can take a step back to marvel at the astounding feats that it has allowed humanity to accomplish. Scientists have proposed several theories to explain our willingness to cooperate, however, we still have much to learn. One question revolves around how (and if) cooperation functions differently at a neurological level depending on a person’s culture, environment, genes, and life history. I have always been interested in this question, but if I had to choose a single story that best epitomized my passion for this topic, I would choose my trip to Piscobamba, Peru. See below…
My Research impetus
The thunderous crash of a falling tree jarred me from my stupor. I dropped to the ground, rolling to the right to avoid the danger. The incessant rain had washed away the path, but it had also erased the pungent smell produced by the farm animals that had traversed this land in the past days. I rested on the ground, feeling the cool mud soak through my shirt and soothe my aching body. Fighting the urge to close my eyes and sleep, I brought my mind to the task at hand; I had to make it to the hospital.
To explain how I ended up in this situation, 11,000 feet above sea level in the heart of the Andes Mountains, I must rewind my story a few weeks, to when I arrived at a friend’s farm in Piscobamba, Peru. Nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by immense snowcapped mountains, the scenery surrounding their farm was utterly magnificent, and the days I spent there were some of the best of my life. I worked hard, laughed often and explored constantly, truly experiencing a new way to live. Alas, a few days before Christmas something started to go wrong.
My muscles tightened up, my temperature rose, and food became impossible to consume. On Christmas Eve I was too sick to go out, but I insisted that the family travel to town for the holiday celebrations while I stayed behind to rest.
Unfortunately however, soon after they left my body began shaking, and despite piling on layers of clothing, my teeth chattered incessantly as I struggled to stay warm. I tried to remain calm, but my attention was fixated on my right calf and the bite I had received from a stray dog a week earlier. Horror stories about rabies consumed my mind, and for the first time ever, I was genuinely concerned for my life.
Semi-delirious, I forced myself out of the house and began trudging down the path to town while thick drops of rain splattered on my face and obscured my vision. Incidentally though, the rain was a gift, as it kept me alert and motivated me to continually move on. Luckily, my focus was sufficient; I stumbled into Piscobamba five miles later with just enough energy to cry for help before losing consciousness.
The next morning I awoke in the hospital, shocked to find countless townspeople I had met in the past weeks at my side, all of them having spent Christmas Eve in a sterile, empty room waiting to see if I would be okay. Their concern for my health was so genuine that it moved me to tears, and as I made eye contact with each person in the room, a visceral sense of gratitude and connection welled up inside of me. To most people, these individuals’ concern for my health seems natural, but when considered from an evolutionary perspective, it is absolutely astounding. These were individuals I had met just days earlier and whom I would likely never see again, yet they sacrificed their time and comfort to ensure that I would be okay – for no obvious personal gain.
If we can uncover the nuanced makeup of a brain capable of generating these incredible feelings of connection, feelings that ultimately underlie the wondrous ability of humans to cooperate, the possibilities to ameliorate some of today’s intractable conflicts would be vastly expanded. From peace dialogues to nuclear non-proliferation treaties, we could utilize this understanding to create environments and exercises that fostered the formation of genuine connections between sworn adversaries, and even if these connections were one-hundredth as powerful as the ones I felt in Peru, that could be enough to transform impossible problems into solvable ones.
Throughout my career, I hope to expedite the process of understanding. Eventually I may pursue a PhD to investigate how culture has shaped the human brain over evolutionary time and how it continues to do so today, as I believe that a fundamental driver of many conflicts is that the adversaries think about and process the same situation in fundamentally and neurologically different ways. The goal of this research would be to demonstrate scientific proof that could be used to appeal to human reason and help enemies generate a better understanding of each other’s motives. I believe that if enemies can be definitively shown that their conflicts are not solely due to an "inherent evilness" of their adversaries, but rather also caused by differences in perspectives, life histories and genetic backgrounds, peace will become significantly easier to attain.
Nelson Mandela said, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” I agree with Mandela, with a slight addition; I believe that if you want to make peace with your enemy, you must understand your enemy. If you truly understand where someone is coming from and realize that you may even have shared his or her beliefs had you been born in different circumstances, it becomes much more difficult to hate them. It is by generating increased understanding that I hope to rekindle seeds of peace where they have been diminished by conflict and instability – with the belief that such seeds will eventually lead to tangible reductions in conflicts across the globe.
While I am an optimist, I know that my ambitions won’t be possible unless I put myself in the right situation and surround myself with the right individuals. If you are such an individual and/or believe that I can be of service as you pursue a similar goal, please reach out!