Diversity

Our Earth is populated with living things with such variety, complexity, and diversity that many people concludes that they must be the work of an Omni-potent, Omni-present, and Omni-science being. It is not after several thousand years of intellectual inquisitiveness and scientific investigations and discoveries that we, the living thing of the human kind, arrive at a clear, concise, and logical picture as to how, when, and why things the way they are. From bacteria, plants, insects, fish, amphibian, reptile, and to mammal, they all have one thing in common: they are being manipulated and molded into all possible shapes, sizes, and capabilities to play the game of life. The name of the game is diversity which means not to put all the eggs in one basket. The diversity is evident in all the living things as it offers a better chance of survival; instead of everyone going after a single food source, each one is specialized toward a different food source.

Human Society

Every human being looks different, thinks different, and does things differently. This diversity reflects on how the human society has become. There are:

1. Farmers who grow crops and raise animals as food,

2. Industrialists who build factories to process the food for consumption,

3. Engineers who design infrastructures for utilities, transportation, dwelling, etc.,

4. Educators who teaches the young the ways of man-made world,

5. Scientists who find new technologies to improve human livings,

6. Doctors who treat the sick and cure the ill,

7. Law enforcers who maintain peace and order, etc.

   All these specialized workers are needed to keep the ever expanding human population healthy and happy. In a free society, a person can choose any job one desires. But, more often than not, it is the profession that chooses the person with the best qualification.

Human Medicine

There is more diversity in the world of human medicine than any other fields. It was not long ago that a person only needs to see the family doctor for all one’s health issues. Today:

1. For kidney problem, there is nephrologist,

2. For bladder problem, there is urologist,

3. For eye problem, there is ophthalmologist,

4. For skin problem, there is dermatologist,

5. For cancer, there is oncologist,

6. For child’s health, there is pediatrician,

7. For foot problem, there is podiatrist, etc.

   Due to population explosion, environmental pollution, social stress, soil contamination by toxic chemicals, and over eating, more complex health issues also surface challenging the expertise of the medical professionals. So, it is only naturally to specialize to better understand and handle the unique health cases and to diversify the once simple medical field such that the relevant subjects can be identified and targeted for concentrated research and development. The diversity in the medical world has made the overall population healthier and the average human life span longer.

Human Life

With modernization, human life has become routine and predictable. But, diversity is all around to satisfy each human’s unique urges:

1. In the supermarket, there are enough varieties of vegetables, fish, meat, spices, fruits, etc. to satisfy each person’s unique taste bugs,

2. In the library, there are books of fiction and non-fiction on all kinds of subject to satisfy a person’s curiosity and thirst for information,

3. A person can satisfy one’s unique taste of entertainment in movies, theaters, TV, museums, game consoles, computers, etc.,

4. For transportation, a person can find to one’s liking of an automobile in any shape, size, power, and color from no less than 20 manufactures from around the world, etc.

   As each human finds it more and more difficult to share one’s private life, one turns to the other alternatives to fill the void. The diversity in the man-made world keeps the humans physically engaged, mentally sane, and spiritually stable.

Game of Life

Diversity can be found in the living things everywhere. It is a characteristic of life of Earth. Diversity is manifested not only in the countless number of living species but also within each living species itself. Diversity is a feature designed into the DNA to enable the living things to adjust to and survive the changing and unknown environment with unpredictable and limited food sources. Diversity will not guarantee that every living species will survive but will make sure that life on Earth will not end before it has run its course. The fossil records show that the Earth was littered with extinct living species that were once masters of their habitats and playing important role in the Earth’s eco-system. So, it is understandable that some of today’s flourishing living species will one day meet the same fate being replaced by other living species and taking their turns to play the game of life.