The idea that we are somehow safe and can pursue our lives with little thought towards risk is a hallmark of our civilization. We have comfortable homes we live in. Most of our jobs are not so physically challenging they could cause us injury. We drive to and fro and even travel long distances in comfortable, climate controlled automobiles. In every aspect of our lives the effects of our environment are mitigated by our technology.
The Neanderthal were much more aware of how vulnerable they were. In tune with their environment, living in harsh climates, exposed to the forces of nature in ways we experience only by choice, the Neanderthal had to survive in harmony with that environment. Even their bodies were designed for their environment. They had a dense bone structure, large nasal cavities, and thick skulls that helped them survive, maybe even thrive in intensely cold environments.
Dealing with the weather and terrain, the storms, the temperatures, the snow and ice, and how it affected their food supplies made them a tough, canny, and capable people. If they were not, they died. Even if they were, it didn’t always go well for them. The small family groups made it possible to feed and shelter themselves. Dependent on one another and their skills at hunting, foraging, and planning to have food, clothes and shelter available created a culture we are just getting small glimpses of as we investigate the history of our planet.
Knowing the history of our planet and how it has passed through different ages like tropical ages and ice ages; it amazes me how panicked we act at the thought of ‘global warming.’ It is a luxury to worry about an unknowable future when we know by our very existence our planet has survived great extremes. This is a give away that our lives are relatively safe and easy.
Every now and then we get a potent reminder that we are not as safe or as prepared or as smart as we believe we are. There are forces in this world outside our control. There will be unforeseen events that will reshape even our physical world in a matter of minutes.
I live in East Tennessee. The last few days of September brought Hurricane Helene to our corner of the world. It tore through the region without mercy. My community was spared the worst of the storms wrath. Close neighboring communities were not. In a matter of hours nature remade the landscape, rerouted rivers, reshaped mountainsides and wiped out people’s homes and businesses, bringing death, destruction and utter devastation on a scale unseen in this area.
Life is fragile. Watching the side of a mountain slide down into a raging flood of mud and debris where a river used to flow peacefully by, reminds us how vulnerable we really are. Life is precious. Watching the folks climb up from the rubble and get to work, I see a tenacious drive to survive, to reclaim, to rebuild, and eventually to thrive. Safety is an illusion. If you buy into it, you will be disappointed. Safety is an illusion, what is not is the human spirit that seeks to overcome and to be greater than the threat. Safety is an illusion. We were never meant to be safe. We were meant to rise to meet challenges. We were built to overcome.
Theoriginalneanderthal 