We are social beings, we form groups, we gather with family, friends and people who share the same interests. We seek meetings and are filled with a sense of belonging. As human beings, we form a community and are more connected than we think. Science talks about our monkey relatives and says that we are genetically 96% identical, especially to chimpanzees and bonobos. Although our DNA shares many characteristics, are we really apes?

In ancient natural history books it was written that humans arose from monkeys and that they are our ancestors, but today it is known that humans did not come from monkeys or any other current primate, but that we have a common ancestor. Exactly which one is still being debated.

Among the social experiments conducted with monkeys, the one with five monkeys stands out. Five monkeys start in a cage with a ladder that has a bunch of bananas on top. One monkey climbs the ladder to get to the bunch, and the researcher sprays the others with ice water, and when the other monkey climbs the bananas, the others are sprayed. The third time one of the monkeys tries to climb, the rest of the group does not allow him to do so and beats him. Then a new monkey enters the cage, a stranger to the group and who has never been sprayed with water. Before he gets to the ladder, the whole group hits him, and the same thing happens with the other new monkey that introduces himself. The new monkeys do not know the punishment, but they join in the beating every time a new one enters the cage. The lesson of this experiment is that as a group we don’t question certain behaviors and yet, we go along with what the vast majority are doing without even knowing why we are doing what we are doing. The same can be seen in situations of fear and distress. We see that these emotions overwhelm the vast majority of our group and without question, we feel it too and even follow collective decisions without stopping to question why we do it.

Why humans, unlike other primates, do not have their bodies completely covered with hair

In the last 4 years we have lived through times of great unrest and chaos, how much did our behaviors reflect the characteristics of primates during that time? Recent scientific studies (2021) have revealed that our human nature is not ape-like. We are capable of infinite evil, of abuse, of such darkness, that we do things to other people that monkeys would never do to themselves. And at the same time, we are capable of infinite kindness, altruism, empathy and devoting our lives to serving others without expecting anything in return.

The reality is that we are higher beings than monkeys; We have understanding, we project ourselves, we dream of a different future, a better future. It is important to always connect with that part of us that characterizes us and not to forget that we have infinite empathy and the ability to serve others. And what really separates us from monkeys is the ability to choose despite adversity, do I let my animal side take over my life or do I remain calm and willing to help the people around me? (OR)