Recently several friends and I were emailing each other, sequestered in different countries. My friend Judy mentioned that someone had sent her the following about Margaret Mead...
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."
My friend Christine responded with some beautiful words...
"Lovely. So instead of telling everyone to take care of themselves through this we should be saying, I’m trying to take care of you….I am staying home to protect you and me, I am connecting with you remotely so you are not lonely, I am buying food from your restaurant so you come out of this with a job, I am giving the delivery people an extra large tip to acknowledge that they are keeping us fed and safe, I am sending money to the food bank and other organizations to ensure you are fed, I am making masks for the neighbors and front line workers, I am posting funny jokes to keep your spirits up, I am checking on my neighbors who live alone to make sure they have what they need."
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Cynthia