Degrees of Cousinhood
Throughout the history of the human species, the average parents have had more than two children; otherwise, the human population would not have grown as large as it is. In any case, for the purpose of argument, let's say the average couple has two children. That would mean that the average person has
Four first cousins
16 second cousins
64 third cousins
256 fourth cousins
1024 fifth cousins . . .
and so on. If you carry this progression out to the 50th degree, you would have
1.2676506 x 1030 50th cousins! That too is far more human beings than have ever lived on this planet! Obviously we are all probably more closely related than that.Of course, this also assumes that everyone of the same age is in the same generation as everyone else. In reality, many people of the same age are of different generations. Thus if your cousin's great, great grandfather is your grandfather, then he is your first cousin twice removed, and so on. Most of us are probably several times removed from our cousins.
"We need to remember where we came from; to know that we are one. To understand that we are of an undivided whole: race, color, nationality, creed, gender are beams of light, refracted through one great prism. We begin as perfect and journey through life to become more perfect in the singularity of 'I' and in the multiplicity of 'we'; a more perfect union of matter and spirit." -- Dennis Kucinich, US CongressmanClick Here to see related pages: