THREAD:

"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 Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken & 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, hunt for food.

You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.

& #39;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...

& has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts,& #39; Mead said.

We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized."

~ Ira Byock, The Best Care Possible: A Physician’s Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life