SOUL SOUP

— Via Internet

We Care

Many years ago, a student asked the anthropologist Margaret Mead what she considered to be the first sign of civilisation in a culture. Mead said the first sign of civilisation in ancient culture was a femur, thigh bone, that had healed from a break. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom if you break your leg you die, you cannot run from danger, go to the river to drink water, or hunt for food. Injured animals or humans become fresh meat for predators. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone cared for the injured, treated the wound, took the person to safety and cared for them until they recovered. Helping someone through difficulty is where civilisation begins, said Mead.

Flight Seat

Recently, while taking a night flight in the US, I paid extra for a better seat upfront. I was glad that the seats next to me were empty, so I could stretch out and sleep.As the flight took off, I heard an older woman behind me asking to be seated in the front row as she was claustrophobic. She was told it would cost extra. She could not afford it. So, without her knowledge, I decided to pay for her. She was so very happy to be seated in the front. Much to my surprise, at the end of the flight, as a token of appreciation, the flight attendant refused to charge me for the seat, or the food I had bought on the flight.