From Human Monkeys to Saree Customs: Why Humans Always Say “I Am Right”
About the Book Sapiens
The book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind was written by Yuval Noah Harari, a historian from Israel. It tells the story of human beings from the earliest times to the present day. The main message is: humans rule the Earth not because we are the strongest, but because we can tell stories, believe them together, and cooperate in large groups.
✍️ About the Author
Yuval Noah Harari is known worldwide for writing about history, science, and philosophy in elementary language. His books (Sapiens, Homo Deus, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century) have been translated into many languages and read by millions. Leaders like Barack Obama and Bill Gates recommend them because they prompt us to consider the past and future of humanity.
About My Thinking
Reading Sapiens made me think in my own way. I realized:
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Evolution is not only about bodies (walking upright, using tools) but also about minds and cultures.
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Humans don’t just pass on DNA — we also pass on beliefs, customs, gossip, and rituals to the next generation.
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These beliefs shape how we live, fight, and dominate.
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From the Mahabharata to saree customs, the same pattern repeats: we always want to say “I am right.”
Why I Write This Article
I am writing this article to show how Harari’s big idea — that humans live by stories — is not only in books, but also in our daily lives, families, and cultures.
I want readers to see that:
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The same drive that made sapiens dominate Neanderthals is alive in us today.
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We still dominate — not by killing with spears, but by using beliefs, customs, and pride.
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Even slight differences — like how a bride’s saree is chosen — can divide families and communities.
I write because I want people to see evolution with new eyes: not only as science, but as something we live every day.
Once Upon a Time: Many Humans
Long ago, Earth was home to many kinds of “human monkeys”:
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Neanderthals were strong and rigid in Europe.
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Homo erectus – survivors for 2 million years.
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Homo floresiensis – tiny “hobbit humans” in Indonesia.
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Homo sapiens – us, modern humans.
We sapiens were not the strongest. But we had imagination. That changed everything.
Our Secret Weapon: Stories
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We gossiped to know who was kind, who was dangerous.
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We created shared myths — gods, nations, money, justice.
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Stories allowed thousands of strangers to act like one family.
This is how sapiens survived and replaced all other humans.
⚔️ From Food to Beliefs
After we won food and land, the battles didn’t stop. They became battles of beliefs.
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First: survival.
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Later: religion, culture, pride.
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Always: the voice inside saying “I am right, you are wrong.”
Religion and Stories
Religion gave humans meaning and courage. But it also created divisions.
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The Mahabharata inspires dharma, but it is also about war.
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Stories of Shiva and Vishnu inspire devotion, but humans fight: “My god is higher than yours.”
Culture and Pride
Culture works in the same way.
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One group says: “This food is holy.”
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Another says: “That food is sinful.”
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One family says: “Dowry is tradition.”
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Another says: “Dowry is wrong.”
Even natural truths are made into rules:
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“If a husband sleeps with his wife, they will surely have a child.”
Saree Customs in One Community
Even inside one community, small differences create pride and hate.
Take the Ayira Vaisya Chettiar families:
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Families from City A say: “The bride must wear this saree on the first night.”
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Families from City C say: “No, that is wrong. Our custom is correct.”
The result?
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Division: “We are City A Chettiars, you are City C Chettiars.”
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Pride: “Our way is pure.”
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Hate: “Their way is foolish.”
Even a piece of cloth becomes a battlefield of ego.
Modern Shared Myths
Not all stories are harmful. Some help us live together:
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Money – just paper, but powerful because we all believe in it.
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Nations – just lines on a map, but people live and die for them.
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Human rights – not written in nature, but we live as if they are real.
The Human Pattern
From killing Neanderthals, to gossip around fires, to saree customs today — humans show the same pattern:
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We dominate.
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We tell stories.
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We persuade others to believe.
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And we always say: “I am right.”
Final Thought
The biggest question for us today:
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Will we keep using stories to dominate and divide?
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Or can we create new stories to unite and heal?
Because in the end, the story that wins is the one we all choose to believe.
Social Media Summary for Sharing
Humans didn’t become rulers of Earth because we were the strongest. We became rulers because we could tell stories and believe them together. From the Mahabharata to saree customs in weddings, from gods to money, our stories unite us — but also divide us.
Even today, families argue over rituals, communities dispute customs, and nations clash over borders. Deep inside, the human voice still says: “I am right, you are wrong.” The real question is: will we continue to create stories that divide, or can we craft new stories that unite us?