In the beginning there was the big bang. Thirteen and half billion years later the universe becomes aware of itself through the emergence of human beings on planet earth.

Some believe that human consciousness is the result of an astoundingly lucky chemical reaction that has been running on autopilot for millions of years. This life-creating reaction required heavy elements that could only have been produced in the cores stars. Flung billions of miles through space, they landed on a planet orbiting in the warm energy of a second generation star.

Others believe that humans are the creation of a divine all-powerful entity.

Which is the bigger miracle? It doesn’t really matter. Our miraculous existence shows that evolution is about producing higher levels of consciousness and awareness. This consciousness is unique and almost impossibly rare in the universe. And though it has manifest itself on different parts of our planet using different languages, ways of dressing, social hierarchies and religions, all human beings are the same species.

We are all the same in much more fundamental ways than we are different. And yet most of us seem to believe that the social, governmental, or religions belief systems into which we were born makes us superior and gives us the right to kill and enslave other humans.

If these notions of superiority and urge for power over others once served a valuable survival function they no longer do. They are causing needless suffering and hardship. Our adherence to primitive and outmoded ways of thinking is literally killing millions of humans. Unless we change how we conceive of ourselves, we will cause our own destruction.

What’s required is a new species consciousness—a clear, innate, unambiguous belief that all humans are exactly as valuable and worthy as I am. This begins by stating and accepting this simple affirmation: I am a human being on planet earth. This is an undeniably true statement for all 6.8 billion people on this planet. If this becomes everyone’s core identity it reinforces the fact that we are all fundamentally the same.