But Does That Mean That War And

So Long As We Continued To Attach More Importance To Our Own Narrow Group Membership Than To The 'global Village' We Would Propagate Prejudice And Ignorance. There Was Absolutely No Harm In Being Part Of A Small Group - Indeed, With Our Hunter-gatherer Band Mentality It Gave Comfort, Provided Us With An Inner Circle Of Friends Who Could Be Utterly Trusted, Who Were Absolutely Reliable. It Helped Give Us Peace Of Mind. The Danger Came Only From Drawing That Sharp Line, Digging That Ditch, Laying That Minefield, Between Our Own Group And Any Other Group That Thought Differently.

I Was Even Accused Of Teaching The Chimps How To Fish For Termites Which I Mean That Would Have Been Such A Brilliant Coup.

Is It Not Possible That The Chimpanzees Are Responding To Some Feeling Like Awe? A Feeling Generated By The Mystery Of Water; Water That Seems Alive, Always Rushing Past Yet Never Going, Always The Same Yet Ever Different. Was It Perhaps Similar Feelings Of Awe That Gave Rise To The First Animistic Religions, The Worship Of The Elements And The Mysteries Of Nature Over Which There Was No Control? Only When Our Prehistoric Ancestors Developed Language Would It Have Been Possible To Discuss Such Internal Feelings And Create A Shared Religion.

Language Allows Us To Talk About The Past And Plan The Future. We Can Teach Children About Things That Are Not Present. And Above All, We Can Bring People With Different Backgrounds And Different Knowledge Together To Discuss Our Problems. This Actually Gives Me Hope. I Still Think We Are Smart Enough To Not Destroy Planet Earth, Our Only Home.

You Aren't Going To Save The World On Your Own. But You Might Inspire A Generation Of Kids To Save It For All Of Us. You Would Be Amazed At What Inspired Children Can Do.