Older Than We Thought

Somebody exploring a Greek cave recently found a human skull estimated to be around 210,000 years old (we automatically accept that "experts" know how to determine the age of skulls, don't we?) What's amazing is that the deceased cave dweller was not supposed to be there for tens of thousands more years  Ain't that a kick in the head?  Now we have to update all those anthropology text books. (sorry kids, you can't use last year's edition.  Pony up for a new one).

Not only that but a leading anthropologist now tells us Homo Sapiens started talking millions of years ago rather than 200,000 or 300,000 that most experts believed to be the case. (Isn't 100,000 years a pretty generous allowance for pin-pointing?) How do they know when the first woman told the first man he should try to remember to lower the seat ring on the squat rock?  I obviously have a good deal more research to do to flesh out these bare bones.

But before leaving the subject of how our oldest ancestors got it together to form the marvelous social order we have today, consider the way another leading anthropologist proposes our earliest forbears domesticated themselves: he posits that they cooperated in killing individuals who were determined to be incurably violent.

That's our quick audit of the last couple or three million years of Homo Sapiens's striving, and we still have considerable work remaining to achieve a truly humane society.  Way too many incurably violent tribesmen remain out there.

Train Talk

Waiting for your MAX train to arrive, you might take the time to read a posting inviting riders to observe certain courtesies to make everyone's trip more enjoyable.  Down the list is one that states:  Do not speak in a loud voice that would disturb other riders.

Going home on the Blue Line, crowded  car, late afternoon.  Two men, middle forties, in heated argument.  Loud.

Fat guy (FG): If you'd listen more and talk less it would make you smarter.

Skinny guy (SG): Oh, right.  Listening to you would make a post dumber.

FG: Whenever I'm telling you something, you talk right over the top of what I'm saying.

SG: Listen to yourself sometime and you'll hear why.

FG: That does it...I say something and you give me three paragraphs. (Turns and works his way toward rear of car.)

SG: That's it...go find two or three people who'll get up and make room for you to sit down.

Amused looks on faces of many riders, including mine.