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Credit: Ira Byock
“Years ago, 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.
01:49 PM - May 30, 2023 (Edited)
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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.
01:51 PM - May 30, 2023
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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 + has tended the person through recovery.
01:53 PM - May 30, 2023
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Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said.

We are at our best when we serve others.”
01:53 PM - May 30, 2023
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Zack "Bat-hair" Miller
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Wow! What a profound statement.
05:23 PM - May 30, 2023
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US ARMY VETERAN
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Hi
02:43 PM - May 30, 2023
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Diane Turner
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Glad I waited! Hadn’t heard this before.

Good stuff!
01:58 PM - May 30, 2023 (Edited)
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Diane Turner
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Waiting with baited breadth
01:50 PM - May 30, 2023
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