[Rockhounds] Civilization

[Edward Tindell]

I ran across this and thought it might be interesting:

 

                "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."