"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.
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."
We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.
@pinskal
It's a great story but I've read a few times now that there's no solid evidence she said it, apparently. I wonder who did.
@jai_oh
@rbos @pinskal @jai_oh Also, we do find animal skeletons with pretty terrible breaks that have healed, and we see supporting behavior in animals, and really civilization isn't just social behavior... it's more the art of living in cities: for a species that has evolved to live in small groups where everyone knows each other, suddenly having to continually deal with strangers without killing them.