Survival of the fittest doesn't just mean the fittest. It means the most variant; the most different. This is a mistake most of us make when we think of Darwin. We assume the biggest, fastest and strongest species prevail. But, this isn't the case. It's the species that are the most variant and, in turn, adaptable.

Take the Mammoth for example. They thrived during the most recent ice age because they were perfectly equipped for it. They were practically giant winter coats. They had 20 inches of hair covering up an inch of thick undercoat covering up 3 inches of well-insulated blubber.

However, after the world warmed up and humans started hunting Mammoths with sharpened sticks, these slow-moving winter coats soon went extinct. Mammoths were all the same. Because of this sameness, they collectively thrived when the conditions were right. But, as soon as the conditions changed, they started dropping like flies.

Darwin was a huge proponent of variance and believed homogeneity to be a death sentence. If Mammoths had variants within their species that were lighter, more skittish and agile, they might have adapted to the changing circumstances. These variants would have survived, mated and produced more Mammoths with these same variations.

So, how does this apply to us? Homogeneity is more comfortable than variance. Because of this, we have to actively work to fight against it. Both within ourselves and our communities. It's very dangerous to create environments where everyone acts the same, looks the same and talks the same. Because we approach new, highly diverse problems with the same old solutions.