We humans, like other animals, are products of our genes and everything that we do in our lives is devoted, in some way, to their preservation. While this commitment is easy to appreciate in simple organisms, our complex lives, governed by intellect and emotion, shroud this basic, underlying imperative.
Our brain power supplants the instinctual behavior of other creatures. We think, reason, love, worry, ponder and anticipate. We wonder. We are curious. We communicate, debate, create, explore, judge and plan for the future. But, beneath this veneer of activity, thought and emotion, is the primordial drive to protect and sustain our genetic heritage.
We learn to survive. We work, beg or steal. We use our skills to provide for ourselves and our offspring or to con others for those resources. We may be kind or cruel. We may be generous or self-centered. We may be tolerant or judgmental. We may put our faith in gods or in science. We may expect to live forever or accept the temporal nature of our lives. In the end, our motivation is the same.
