Kinship and Commitment

By Geoffrey Holland

Correcting the human course now is our only good option. It’s about surviving the consequences of our extreme human overreach, particularly in recent decades.

The story of humanity is at a crossroads. One path leads us deeper into divisive conflict and tribalism. The other path calls on all humans to seek a shared future rooted in empathy, equity, and mutual survival. The choices we make—individually and collectively—will determine whether we collapse under the weight of our own narrow loyalties or will we rise to meet the global challenges that define our age.

“Tribalism was necessary in the past, but today it is one of the biggest threats to global civilization.” – Yuval Noah Harari, Author, Sapiens

Tribalism once served a useful purpose. In our early evolution, loyalty to kin and clan helped our ancestors survive in a world of constant risk and danger. But what once protected small groups has become a poison in a world that is deeply interconnected. Today, tribalism manifests as nationalism, sectarianism, racism, gender dominance, and ideological purity. Tribalism pits neighbors against neighbors, and nation against nation, in a corrosive struggle for power and identity. Its currency is fear. Its consequences are fragmentation and failure.

Everywhere we look, we see the divisive symptoms: authoritarian politics exploiting grievance; cultural wars that prioritize outrage over understanding; economic systems that reward the few while largely ignoring the many. When loyalty to “us” becomes assertive hostility toward “them,” the social fabric frays and begins to come apart. And when nations act in narrow self-interest—ignoring the suffering of others, hoarding resources, denying responsibility for shared crises—human progress grinds to a halt.

“We have a choice: continue to embrace domination and control, or shift to partnership and caring.”, Riane Eisler, Author, The Partnership Way

Choosing to seek the best outcome for all people is how we all must go. We must recognize that in an age of climate collapse, pandemics, much war and suffering, starvation and mass migration, our human destinies are linked together. A humanitarian path affirms that all people—regardless of race, gender, or nationality—deserve dignity, opportunity, and a livable future.  It calls on all humans to expand their circle of concern, to see others not as enemies or competitors, but as fellow travelers on a fragile planet.

This is not just a moral argument. It is simply the best way forward that we have open to us.

History shows that cooperation, not domination, is the foundation of lasting peace and prosperity. After World War II, global institutions were born out of a resolve never to repeat the horrors of tribal hatred. Civil rights and liberation movements showed that societies are strongest when they include the marginalized and uplift the vulnerable. In science, medicine, and humanitarian relief, global cooperation continues to save lives every day. 

The biggest thing we may have going for us is the fact that all of our human family across our planet are now connected in real time by cell phones and the social media.

Without question, we are seeing the social media being taken over by the rich and powerful who benefit from tribalism and self-interest. This is causing the cultural and ecological costs of tribalism to increase massively. The constant drone of self-serving lies and misinformation destroys trust. Meanwhile, the climate crisis accelerates as the world’s wealthiest nations chose political dominance and profit over working for the common human interest.

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” – James Baldwin, Author and Social Critic

Here is the undeniable reality - Our survival depends on cooperation. It is not about who wins the most. It comes down to all humans learning how to win together.

To walk the humanitarian path in gender and cross-cultural partnership is to embrace the best of what it means to be human. We must build cultures of care, economies of fairness, and systems of governance that serve all of humanity, not just those few that are rich and powerful. We must teach our children to see others as family. We are, in fact, a planetary-scale family, whose best future starts with cooperation and common purpose.

Humans are the most consequential of all our Earth’s living species. We are the only species capable of consciously choosing the best kind of future. It is in every human person’s interest to embrace and care for our living Earth. Our planet is what we all have in common. We must choose to be Earth Caregivers. Our common human commitment must be to restore the living biosphere we all depend on to flourishing health. Future generations are depending on the humans here now to leave a better world for them.

“Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring.”  - Carl Sagan, Astrophysicist, Son of the Cosmos