Being Sapien

Hello you gorgeous soul.

This week, amongst many other things, I have been mulling over how we human beings organize ourselves into groups, families and communities. I think this is inspired by the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind which I've been reading over the past few weeks.

If you haven't checked it out and are interested in thinking about what it means to be a human being in your community/ on this earth/ in this universe, I highly recommend giving it a go. I have enjoyed it for many reasons, but principally for the way Harari tells the story of our evolution and history. There truly are some mind-bending contrasts that make up our evolutionary story as a species-- from the raw granularity of our common animal-ness, to the breath-taking miracle of our continued existence on this planet as we twirl amongst the stars in an infinite universe. 

This book makes my mind bob about in some of the same ways as my fave theoretical physics reads, and I am now craving to reread The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. The great thing about theoretical physics is that you can bypass the hard math stuff and play with the unlikely ideas that the math proofs seem to point to. 

I love trying to hold the micro and macro in my head at the same time: exploring how the vast universe works while also contemplating the minute vibrations in the atoms that make up who we are. It's like a painful but thrilling brain massage. Yahooo!

Anyway, I digress. Coming back to earth and with feet planted firmly amongst my sapien brethren, as mentioned and in this context, I have enjoyed thinking about the ways we sapiens organize ourselves. And in typical fashion, the interwebs has answered this inquiry with a few interesting and connected tidbits that you might enjoy too.

For example, have you seen this adorable video compilation of four-generation families from around the world? It has been going viral lately, and with good reason #cuuuuuute

I also enjoyed this account of the mini-mystery of the Golden Girls of Prospect Cemetery in Toronto.

How about this rare video footage of 1929 Kyoto, including sound? We can readily see pics or silent video from this period, but there is something so magical to me about hearing the sound from so long ago.

From one sapien to another, I am glad that we are connected together.  I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a human-filled week!

Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus