I asked my friend this question today - if you could live your life again knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? He said he wouldn't, because that would mean he would not be who and where he is. 

I would. I would have studied hardier in school, really make those History, Science and Mathematics lessons count. I would not have stopped writing just because I started working. I would have continued reading books, listened to real music (Nirvana, Snow Patrol, Vivaldi). I would have stayed in touch with friends from school. I would not have wasted so much money on objects that held no economic value. I would have learned swimming and yoga much earlier, and not let fear stand in the way. I would never have lost my way and most of all, I would have retained my true passion for words and the English language. 

Anyway, I have been wasting a lot of time on stormfront.org which is a white supremacy forum. The white supremacists argue (convincingly) that they are the master race because of their genetic intelligence and good looks (blonde hair, blue eyes). Well, the western civilization have indeed made significant contributions to the betterment of society. Every important invention in the last few centuries have been invented by whites - telephone, energy, cars, internet, airplanes. Theory has it that the early humans who traveled out of Africa evolved faster than those who remained because the harsh conditions of the northern hemisphere forced them to be creative and innovative. The Africans on the other hand, never left the land so they became complacent and remained primitive. Take this with a grain of salt if you wish, but some of the arguments above are quite valid. When was the last time an African invented something? Has anyone wanted to try African cuisine the way one would try Indian, Japanese, Italian, Greek cuisine? 

East Asians supposedly have the highest IQs (I think this was researched in The Bell Curve), several points ahead of Caucasians. This is logical and a reasonable conclusion if you take into consideration the progress of developed nations like Japan and South Korea. Do homogenous societies work better than multicultural ones? Look at our own backyard - we claim that diversity is our strength but we bicker every day, on racially based issues. The ugly truth is, we fear what we do not understand. We identify better with people who look and think the same way that we do and we distrust people who are different. Conflicts are inevitable even with people who are similar, what more can you expect from people with diverse culture, religion, ideology, heritage and history? Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if our forefathers never ventured out of China or India. But then again, as evidenced by the men who traveled out of Africa, change is necessary and can be a good thing. It teaches you perseverance, courage and strength.