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Monday, April 21, 2008

HOW FAR WE HAVE COME


No one is sure when man first tied a string to a bent stick and shot another stick from it, but one thing is sure, from that moment on, man was on the path to an easier existence. No longer was he required to approach within arms reach of his prey in order to feed himself and his family. No longer did he need to face fierce predators with an atlatl and long darts. From the first flight of the arrow, man became the fiercest predator on the planet. Man’s ability to reason, through superior brainpower combined with the new technology that allowed for confrontation at a distance with devastating results, put him at the top of the food chain for the first time in history. Surely many prehistoric humans fell prey to large carnivores. However, the invent of the bow and arrow most certainly elevated his status as a super predator.
Throughout history, the bow has been the deciding factor in countless battles. Imagine the arrows from thousands of bows raining down upon you on some ancient battlefield, or a feathered shaft slamming into your shield as you ride toward your enemy across the American high plains on horseback. I can almost see the arrows stuck in the wood of Greek chariots as they thunder towards one another in the heat of battle.
In modern time, we have advanced ourselves by leaps and bounds. Somehow, we stayed mostly unchanged for thousands of years, living close to nature. In the last two hundred years the technological advances of man are mind boggling. We have invented cars, computers, phones, electricity, and weapons of mass destruction; modern marvels that would strike fear into ancient civilizations at the mere sight of them. A modern man armed with a handgun would be elevated to the status of a god, were he to enter into the realm of ancient man. That same man armed with a simple hand held mirror could share the same status.
We do not know how the ancient ones thought, but my guess is that they were much like us. They loved, fought, cried, and laughed. The basic principles of man remain the same throughout the years. I often wonder what would happen if we were to switch places with primitive man, who would fare better. Would ancient man fall into the comforts of the modern world and be happy with the ease of life that we enjoy today? Would we embrace the simplicity of life that they enjoyed, and learn to deal with the hardships? Probably both modern and ancient man, would suffer horribly in the world of the other. The good thing is, we still have the chance to try and live somewhat in the way of the ancients. whereas they are long gone, and will never get the chance to experience our so-called better existence. I would encourage each individual to spend at least some time out in the wilds without the aid of modern convenience. Not necessarily to survive out there, but as a way to see that our modern way of living may not be as advanced as we believe it to be. These modern conveniences may have us so far removed from what we are as human beings, that we are not really living at all, but only existing. Hawk a/ho

6 comments:

Stacey Olson said...

Mike you post today is so true. I once heard a quote that said "When did our conveniences become necessities?" O- how far we as humans have come.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Hawk: Well said brother, but without these conveniences how would you convey a message such as this. It wasn't long ago that all words had to be written on papyrus and only one copy was available. Compared that to when now you are able to share your words with many and for as long as your sight is available. Nature is a wonderful thing.

Anonymous said...

(Hawk: I sent this a day or two ago but not sure it went through. So here it is again.)

Your writing astounds me every time I read it. It's like Stacey's photos....they leave me speechless. I don't know how you do it. You capture so much in so little space. And so punchy.

In terms of what FISHING GUY said, I thought about that and then thought, "Well, without the computer you would be the person we would all be listening to around the leaping flames of a crackling fire, both the storyteller and the shaman. It might not be as big an audience as BlogCatalog, but it would be so ALIVE and primordial with all our faces lit with the fire's glow and entranced by your stories. Can't you see it? I would take that any day over the computer.

I understand what people mean when they say how great modern conveniences are. But I feel there is a price we pay, and it is much bigger than most realize. Because so many have forgotten. We have lost touch with the things that feed our senses, souls and bodies. In fact we are so disconnected from that which we ARE. As a result we easily dishonor and desecrate the very thing we desperately need.

I easily and readily went wild once I overcame my fear of deadly snakes. I thrived in the challenge of being able to daily test myself. And as you know so well, it is not always easy or pleasant and sometimes down right horrible, but overall I LOVED it.

I better stop or this will be ridiculously long. Computer or campfire these are truly some of the best writings on the internet.

You and Stacey make quite a team. Good for you both.

Mike "Hawk" Huston said...

Robin of the forest, thanks for reading my blog. I look forward to hearing from you when I get the chance to post.. Should you ever make it to Wyoming we have a good supply of firewood and would enjoy a campfire and long conversation around the sacred fire.. Hawk a/ho

Cherie said...

"These modern conveniences may have us so far removed from what we are as human beings, that we are not really living at all, but only existing."

This is a true thing you have expressed here, Hawk.

This blog of yours - these words - your heart.

I feel emotional reading your words.

I'll be back. You and your wife are amazing.

Thanks for sharing.

Ceiling Contractors Warren said...

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