All people are the same. It is only their habits that are different. - Confucius, Chinese philosopher To my mind, we're mostly the same. Genetically we are nearly identical but there are still some miniscule differences and that is why some of us have innate talents or deficiencies others don't have. And it is these talents, inclinations and any deficiencies that largely determine our habits and views on the world around us. However, they are not the only ones that shape our behavior. Lots of other different phenomena such as climate, historical events, environment and many others also play an important role. That is why each nation is a bearer of a unique culture, which includes a certain system of beliefs, customs and sometimes even rituals. At the same time, we all have basic needs of warmth, shelter, clothes, food, social interaction with family, friends and so on. Anthropology says we have the same facial features when we laugh or have disgust. In fact, most of the differences that we notice are caused by just a tiny fraction of our DNA. But this tiny fraction is still a very large number of bases. No two human beings are alike in the traits they possess. Some are tall, others are short; some are gifted musically, others tone deaf; some are athletic, others awkward; some can write great poetry or music, most cannot. And so on. But we do change. Socialization in the family, at school, at the workplace and in thousands of other situations makes us what we are at the moment. And even after growing up, this process does not stop. People learn to live with their innate deficiencies, develop or, conversely, miss the opportunity to develop their innate talents. We root old habits based on our biological givenness, or we form new ones. Probably it takes time but when it happens, it makes you broad-minded and, so to say, elaborate. Overall, a better person to lead a better life. In short, initially you build habits and form beliefs based on what nature has given you, and later your habits and beliefs build you. But in many cases, although not in all, enormous amount of work and striving can make a person more successful, skillful, intelligent and capable than he was originally made by nature. And this is probably the only thing that differentiate us, since neither the skin color nor the place of birth determines how good a particular person is. I guess that the only criterion is a degree of self-cultivation taking into account some innate features.
