War, racism, and math
How math can help us all care a little more about one another
I’ve been reflecting extensively on the global issues, such as ongoing wars, conflicts, refugees, and the growing sense of nationalism not only in the United States but also in other nations. It keeps leading me back to a valuable lesson I try to impart onto my children when they study the US Revolutionary War. Our family resides in Lexington, Massachusetts, a town with a rich history as it was the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Historic landmarks, tour buses, statues, and tour guides donning Revolutionary-era hats are ubiquitous in our town. Even the school system my kids attend greatly emphasizes the connection between the Revolutionary War and the town we live in.
For my children, who proudly identify themselves as Lexington residents, the Minuteman serves as their mascot, and they take great pride in being citizens of Lexington. However, I occasionally remind them that, when we delve into our family tree, it’s highly improbable that any of their ancestors were Minutemen or part of the Lexington militia that bravely fought the British redcoats during the Revolutionary War. Looking back 10 or 11 generations, which amounts to about 248 years ago, you realize that there were approximately 300 individuals who were their ancestors and alive at that time. These ancestors likely hailed from various parts of Europe and the Middle East, spanning countries such as Ireland, England, Germany, France, Italy, and Lebanon. In all likelihood, they may have been relatives of the Redcoats as some of their ancestors are from England. So, I caution my children that when they cheer for the Minutemen during battle reenactments, they should bear in mind that one of those young soldiers on the opposing side, “the bad guys”, could very well be one of their ancestors. If that soldier were shot and killed, our existence might not have come to be. Thus, I urge them to be thoughtful about what they celebrate during these reenactments.
The complexity deepens when I ask my children to contemplate current conflict. I explain to each of them that if they have two children, and those children also have two children, and so on for the next 10 generations, each of them will have around 300 descendants on this planet at that time. That’s 600 in total between the two of them. It’s highly probable that most, if not all, of these descendants will live outside of Lexington, and there’s a significant chance that many won’t even reside in the United States or North America. The complexity increases when I clarify that each of these descendants, those future kids, can look back to 2023, and realize that there were about 300 of their ancestors alive in 2023. This means that each of your 600 kids in the future is as closely related to 299 other people currently living on this planet as they are related to you. So if each of these 600 kids has 300 ancestors alive today in 2023, doing the math, 600 multiplied by 300 equals 180,000. That’s 180,000 people currently alive on this planet whose descendants, their future kids, will be the same as your future kids.
It’s truly mind-boggling. Also, a lot of these 180,000 of these people currently walking the Earth may not be like us in many ways. They may not live in Lexington, and chances are, many of them don’t live in the US, or don’t speak English, aren’t wealthy, aren’t educated, aren’t the same race, don’t share the same religions, and exhibit a wide range of physical and cultural differences. 180,000 people is a substantial number, and I implore my children to consider this when contemplating conflicts, wars, policies, borders, and helping others in the world. I remind them that their decisions and actions could affect people who are interconnected with their own descendants, and it’s a responsibility they must bear in mind when navigating the complexities of our global society. If you care about your kids, and their future, and your legacy, you need to think about those 180,000 other people on this planet right now whose future kids are also your future kids.
