Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist, was once asked about the first signs of civilization. The questioner wondered if it was a clay pot, or a grinding stone, or fishhook. "No," Dr. Mead answered, "a healed femur."
She explained that a restored femur shows that someone cared. Because someone was willing to do the injured person’s hunting and feed him or her, this individual was kept alive and the bone was able to heal. According to Dr. Mead, the evidence of compassion is the first sign of civilization.
The New Testament is full of examples of compassion. Nearly all of them refer to Jesus. He saw a blind man and had compassion on him. He was moved with compassion when He saw the lepers. He entered a town where there were many crippled, and His compassion flowed.
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them" (Matthew 9:35).
We have an opportunity to follow Jesus’ example--to show compassion to those whom we walk alongside on this journey of life.
We don’t live in the jungle where the rule is survival of the fittest, so what we do may not have life-and-death impact. But we can send a note of encouragement, make a meal, offer to pray, or lend a hand.
It is my hope that in years to come, our descendants will see many signs of civilization!
This story was originally published as part of Living Whole, the employee wellness newsletter. Download the newsletter (993KB)