The Mark of Civilisation
In the Gospels Jesus is described as giving some very clear instructions about caring for those who are less fortunate than us: those struggling to feed themselves, those lacking clean water, the stranger, those needing clothing, those sick or in prison (for example, see Matthew 25: 34 – 40). In other words, we are to care for those who cannot easily fend for themselves.
The American anthropologist and social psychologist, Margaret Mead, was probably the most influential anthropologist of the 20th century. She was once asked what the first signs of human civilisation were: perhaps the first art, cave drawings or pottery, perhaps the very first signs of writing, or the first evidence of tools being used. But, no, the first sign of civilisation was evidence of a person having recovered from a broken femur: the thigh bone. In the wild, if you break a significant leg bone, particularly the femur, then that’s it, it’s all over. You can no longer walk or run, you can no longer hunt or escape predators. The fact that someone had recovered from a broken femur and died much later meant that they were nursed through the injury; food and protection were provided by other humans. They were taken care of.
The mark of our civilisation, our society, is how we take care of our most vulnerable. How we do that is critical; it is the ultimate sign of a compassionate and loving community. One reason I enjoy working here at St Peter’s College, is that we do that: the Buddy-Up program and the Sony Camp for children living with disabilities are just two examples, but there are plenty of others here too. So, I am just encouraging our whole community to continue to embrace that spirit of service.
The Reverend Dr Theo McCall
School Chaplain