Watching daily events in the world as they unfold cause me to occasionally (more now than ever) take a deep breathe to regain my bearings. I feel the horror of what we are doing to one another so deeply I hurt for humanity. I am actually fearful we are losing our humanity and have lost hold of the scientific fact that we are of one tribe, humankind. Yes I know we look different on the outside, our skin is of various hues. We speak different languages and observe vastly different religious and political beliefs. Our socioeconomic and racial differences (social constructs) are what we tend to focus upon and use to support segregation, exclusion, and expulsion of one another from specific societies.
My logical mind cannot bend to understand the ensuing fallout of such social constructs. Homicide, bigotry, peacekeepers keeping the peace for a selected few instead of the masses. Politicians enacting illogical laws to hoard money and power for themselves and those with very deep pockets instead of legislating for their constituents who need help the most. It feels and is counterintuitive to me.
Watching a documentary on elephants yesterday caused me to wonder why they get it and we don’t? Observing their communal nature and fierce protection of one another left me in awe of their “tribe”. In one scene a new baby was being attacked passive aggressively by a two-year-old male elephant who did not like being replaced in the needs hierarchy by the baby. He was not able to suckle because it was the new baby’s turn. It was actually amusing to watch him walk by the baby and clumsily kick at her with his back leg without detection, eventually backing into her with full body weight to knock her over. The adults quickly hovered over the baby, creating a fortress of safety against her assailant. I loved the sense of community displayed by the female elephants who by the way eventually will send the male elephant to live in a bachelor herd, because his jealousy will eventually become too dangerous for the herd to manage (that is an entirely different blog).
I just wonder where is our fierceness in protecting our tribe, humankind?