shall we shrug?

im reading a book i dug up at renessaince a few weeks ago--its essentially a compilation of facts about kinship. i've put a lot of thought into most of it before. you know, are humans polygynous or monogomous by nature? what is a humans natural tendency in regards to the importance and responsibility of being a familial building block? when did society and everything that comes with it begin to seriously interfere? etc, etc.

i'm beginning to wonder if "human nature" is too broad of a category to be able to draw any conclusions or even logical theories.

it's so beyond me, but, twenty pages into this book, i'm wondering if the roles individual humans play as sexual beings and members of families is far more out of their control than i previously imagined. in order to survive, some species of primates (depending on location) had to dedicate more time to a nuclear family in order to protect themselves and the existence of their "kind" than others did. that would lead me to believe that these tendencies eventually became the dominant phenotype...that's survival of the fittest. and what is to stop me from believing that humans evolved from a variety of primates--ultimately leading to all of these different morals and beliefs and values as well as appearances?

maybe its crazy, maybe i'll learn better as i continue to read, but for now it's an amusing thought especially at this point in my life:

i'm leaving for tanzania in a little over a month. both of my sisters are suddenly expressing negative feelings about me leaving. as i continue to plan and seemingly shrug off their feelings, i feel like i'm giving up on my duties as the eldest (but deep down i know and acknowledge that this will be as good for them as it will be for me and hopefully everyone i encounter along the way). it is strange, though. i've never missed my family, i think this time i will. and i'm currently planning on putting off college for my younger cousins and aunt. it's so unlike myself. i'm decreasing my individuality and it feels so good. the connections are finally clearing up a bit.