Seen on Facebook this morning: a friend mentioned an old story about Margaret Mead, an anthropologist who, when asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture, responded by talking about a 15,000 year old fractured femur.
This leg bone had been broken and then healed, a process that takes about 6 weeks of rest, something that modern society takes for granted, along with the healthcare system including plaster cast, that allows us to maintain some level of mobility with a broken leg.
Mead explained that in the wild, a broken leg is a death sentence, and thus the owner of this fossilized femur must have been cared for by their community, their civilization, in order to have survived the ordeal of a broken leg.
Similarly, in today's society, we rely on the help of others, our community, our civilization, in order to survive our day-to-day. As I sit here this morning, typing on my laptop, I think of the workers who built the laptop itself, the utilities repairmen who keep it fueled...
the truck drivers and train/ship operators who transported it to the store where retail associates sold it to me. All these people in community with me, over one single item in my possession.
When we speak of revolutions and equality, it is not enough to think only of those...
When we speak of revolutions and equality, it is not enough to think only of those...
who are physically near to us, but also those around the world in our increasingly globalized society, whose efforts make our lives what they are.
I may be homeless in Toronto, but as a Canadian, it is my responsibility to reach out and help my fellow humans with broken legs...
I may be homeless in Toronto, but as a Canadian, it is my responsibility to reach out and help my fellow humans with broken legs...
help them to heal, to grow, that they may one day help the next person who falters. I may never meet that next person, yet by uplifting the people who enrich my life, my limited effort can be felt down the line, like ripples in a pond.
Think of this when you see news coverage of the unhoused in our incredibly wealthy City, when our Mayor and his spokesperson talk about compassion and safety while their actions are violent and heartless. The scene we witnessed at #TrinityBellwoods two short mornings ago...
was not the work of a civilization, not how civilized societies operate. On Tuesday, @JohnTory and the @TorontoPolice descended back to the level of wild animals, attacking those of our communities who had no way to defend themselves and nowhere to run to, to escape.
As you think about the encampment, keep Margaret Mead's words close to your heart:
Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts. Never doubt that a small group of committed, thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, that's all who ever has.
Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts. Never doubt that a small group of committed, thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, that's all who ever has.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
