I've been meaning to tell you this -- My 25 yr old son is reading your book & sending me some thoughtful comments! (I'd just recently finished your book when he stopped over a few wks ago, & in conversation, I mentioned it and he asked to borrow it. This, by the way, from the "boy" who was a late reader and once told me "no more books, Mom" ('cause I had a tendency to include book as gifts at Christmas, etc, in a pretty blatant attempt to encourage more reading.)
When my son climbs into my bed at night, I like to think about how my ancestors did the same going back hundreds of thousands of years, seeking warmth in the night, living long enough to have their own children, usually living long enough to feel their own kids cuddle with them for warmth and safety. Often living long enough for their own children and communities to care for them.
I love the "bioarchaeology of care" - the study of archeological evidence that demonstrates the care of the sick or disabled. Stories like a 15 year old born with spina bifida who died about 7,000 years ago at the Windover site in Florida, or Shannidar 1 in Iraq who lived for decades 35,000-45,000 years ago with the care of his community after suffering a blow to the head at a young age.
While it can be easy to buy into stories of 'progress' and how we 'abandoned barbarism', we're here because so much care, community, compassion, cooperation has permeated our societies for (many many) millennia.
I'm deeply wary of Nadya Williams' statement: "Without the Judaeo-Christian value system, there is no framework to have any concern about meeting the needs of others, because there is no reason to think that other people have value." It's not only easily and demonstrably false - but also the exact kind of statement that has preceded horrific atrocities in our more recent history. I think we'd do well to remember that dependence is nothing new, and the Christian framework of compassion for the weak (while somewhat radical in Roman society!) was not unprecedented.
This piece beautifully highlights the profound vulnerability and dependence inherent in both pregnancy and caregiving, offering a powerful reminder of how our needs shape our humanity. The reflections on how pregnancy teaches us about being human, the transformative power of serving others, and the complex relationship between dependence and strength resonate deeply. The comparison of war and childbirth, and the call for greater social support for families, sheds light on how society often fails to recognize the inherent dignity in human dependence. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of how our interconnectedness shapes who we are.
I've been meaning to tell you this -- My 25 yr old son is reading your book & sending me some thoughtful comments! (I'd just recently finished your book when he stopped over a few wks ago, & in conversation, I mentioned it and he asked to borrow it. This, by the way, from the "boy" who was a late reader and once told me "no more books, Mom" ('cause I had a tendency to include book as gifts at Christmas, etc, in a pretty blatant attempt to encourage more reading.)
Oh that’s awesome to hear!
When my son climbs into my bed at night, I like to think about how my ancestors did the same going back hundreds of thousands of years, seeking warmth in the night, living long enough to have their own children, usually living long enough to feel their own kids cuddle with them for warmth and safety. Often living long enough for their own children and communities to care for them.
I love the "bioarchaeology of care" - the study of archeological evidence that demonstrates the care of the sick or disabled. Stories like a 15 year old born with spina bifida who died about 7,000 years ago at the Windover site in Florida, or Shannidar 1 in Iraq who lived for decades 35,000-45,000 years ago with the care of his community after suffering a blow to the head at a young age.
While it can be easy to buy into stories of 'progress' and how we 'abandoned barbarism', we're here because so much care, community, compassion, cooperation has permeated our societies for (many many) millennia.
I'm deeply wary of Nadya Williams' statement: "Without the Judaeo-Christian value system, there is no framework to have any concern about meeting the needs of others, because there is no reason to think that other people have value." It's not only easily and demonstrably false - but also the exact kind of statement that has preceded horrific atrocities in our more recent history. I think we'd do well to remember that dependence is nothing new, and the Christian framework of compassion for the weak (while somewhat radical in Roman society!) was not unprecedented.
This piece beautifully highlights the profound vulnerability and dependence inherent in both pregnancy and caregiving, offering a powerful reminder of how our needs shape our humanity. The reflections on how pregnancy teaches us about being human, the transformative power of serving others, and the complex relationship between dependence and strength resonate deeply. The comparison of war and childbirth, and the call for greater social support for families, sheds light on how society often fails to recognize the inherent dignity in human dependence. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of how our interconnectedness shapes who we are.