Caring for Others

I recently read that anthropologist, Margaret Mead, was once asked, “What is the first sign of civilization in a culture?” A fishhook, a clay pot or a mortar were among the expected answers.

Instead, Mead replied, “A fractured femur which has healed.”

In the animal kingdom, a broken leg inevitably results in death. Unable to escape predators, obtain water, and hunt for food, the victim becomes food for carnivores. No wild animal survives a broken leg-bone long enough for it to heal.

A broken and subsequently healed femur is evidence that someone has protected the victim and cared for them during their recovery.

That’s where civilization begins – with one individual caring for another.