Fundamentally Similar, Systematically Different

Every time I spend time with a curious mind in an outdoor setting, I eventually point out how people, monkeys, dogs, cats, mice, etc, are basically the same pattern with different implementations - i.e. same skeletal structure, same organs, same major functions, implemented at different scales with other, systematic differences that are essential for the survival of the mammal in question. The similarities extend down to the most fundamental building blocks of life, DNA, where humans have a 100% overlap amongst themselves, with differences only in the sequence of genes, a 98% overlap with chimpanzees, a 92% overlap with mice, and, at the further end of the spectrum, an 18% overlap with the common garden weed! The similarities extend down to the very building blocks of matter, where the only difference between elements in the periodic table is the number and configuration of subatomic particles (protons, neutrons and electrons) in their atoms, where these subatomic particles can be broken down into sub-particles (quarks, leptons, etc), and where, I would imagine, these sub-particles can be broken down into even smaller particles - where does it end?!?! Very nearly all of the elements in the universe owe their existence to the nuclear transmutation of hydrogen and helium by different types of stars, where helium and hydrogen originated from the big bang and account for 98% of the mass of ordinary matter in the universe today. How is that for common? We can all easily conceptualize how 2 identical computers, made of identical components, running identical operating systems, can play uniquely different roles in the world based on their software, but the analogy is a bit more perplexing once it is extended to human beings versus the rest of the animal kingdom, and sometimes versus other human beings - i.e. if not for the single, lethal bit set in Jeffrey Dahmer's software, he was, otherwise, just like the rest of us. But the reality is that, from the smallest particles of matter, to the fundamental building blocks of life, to more observable manifestations, most everything is fundamentally similar and only systematically different, and this is true across a wide range of more abstract instincts, behaviors, ecosystems and organizations. This should not detract from one's assessment of their uniqueness in the world, because it is the soul over the software over the hardware that makes all living things unique: the spark of life that turns elements into compounds into a living being; the ethereal force that cannot be decomposed into particles. Understanding our non-uniqueness at an atomic, chemical and biological level is, indeed, the most salient way to grasp our uniqueness at a more fundamental level beyond the purview of science. This is precisely why philosophy embraces science and spirituality: the former can only take you so far, and the good news is that the latter is completely up to you in terms of choice, interpretation and positivity.