04/24/2020
Compassion In Action
I saw this post from Ira Byock, a leading palliative care and hospice physician and author of a beautiful book about healing relationships called The Four Things That Matter Most. (spoiler alert: saying these four things will get you far in just about any relationship that needs help: “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you”) Byok wrote the following:
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.
I chose an image of Florence Nightingale for this post because I have always wondered why she isn't celebrated more as a world wide hero. Maybe now after the pandemic, we will elevate nurses to their rightful place in society.
