The lockdown journal: The cornerstone of civilization
Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones.
But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.
A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said.
I came across this post multiple times in the past week, and each time, I was moved by it. What a poignant and insightful thought! Reminds me of Holmes:
Even in this time of great sorrow, struggle and difficultly, kindness springs forth in unexpected corners. Organizations are providing meals to thousands of people so that they do not go hungry. (My alma mater IIITB, I am proud to say, is one of those, and is feeding laborers in Electronic City.) There are people volunteering to run errands for the elderly. There are others who are using their professional network to help people who have lost their jobs. There are various support groups that are offering services to people who need them. People who don't know each other are coming together under this shared struggle. This, for me, is really heartening to see. If we are able to empathize with the struggles of a stranger and offer a hand in help, then we truly care. It shows that we are humane human beings.
But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.
A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said.
I came across this post multiple times in the past week, and each time, I was moved by it. What a poignant and insightful thought! Reminds me of Holmes:
“From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it.”
What a noble ideal though--that kindness is the cornerstone of civilization. And it is quite true.
Even in this time of great sorrow, struggle and difficultly, kindness springs forth in unexpected corners. Organizations are providing meals to thousands of people so that they do not go hungry. (My alma mater IIITB, I am proud to say, is one of those, and is feeding laborers in Electronic City.) There are people volunteering to run errands for the elderly. There are others who are using their professional network to help people who have lost their jobs. There are various support groups that are offering services to people who need them. People who don't know each other are coming together under this shared struggle. This, for me, is really heartening to see. If we are able to empathize with the struggles of a stranger and offer a hand in help, then we truly care. It shows that we are humane human beings.
I am trying to find my place in this struggle. To see what I can do to help. Help comes in many forms, as does struggle. Maybe I cannot afford to go out and run errands for people. Maybe I cannot be out on the forefront fighting. My life comes with its responsibilities and constraints, as does yours. But surely there is something you and I can do, and do well. Maybe it is about building an app that is beneficial. Maybe as a dog lover, it is about feeding a few hungry strays in the neighborhood. Maybe it is about talking to that friend whose life is seriously upset because of the pandemic. Whatever little we can do matters, because it changes someone's life a tiny bit, gives them a little joy. Let us find a way to derive meaning out of this struggle. Our own version of meaning, whatever that means to us. :)
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