As a white male citizen of the western world, life is easy. Even when times are hard; life is easy. What does that mean? Well, lets break it down: What is life?
In this instance; life is the act of living, and all that is necessary to keep one's heart beating, lungs breathing, brain functioning and all the other gubbins beneath our skins ticking over. I would never deny that 'life' can be hard. There are diseases, wars, prejudice and homelessness all around, but for the vast majority, the basic act of living is undeniably easy.
70,000 years ago it wasn't so easy. The first humans were born, if they were lucky, with working parts, mostly, and an ability to wail and suck. The lucky ones would have a parent or two to help them through their most vulnerable early years, feeding, sheltering and protecting them. Then they were on their own, to live out their short lives, from day to day battling against their environment.
Over countless generations and thousands upon thousands of years, humans evolved not so much in their physique, but in the way they thought and worked together. They used their communal strength to protect each other They learned to craft new tools with which to adapt and manipulate their environments. They learned from each other. Slowly, ever so slowly, they began to live longer. Little by little, generation by generation, their lives became just a sliver of a hair's breadth easier.
Numbers grew and soon there were large, ancient societies which were able to produce a surplus of food and shelter. They had a select few 'citizens' who were born into a life in which they no longer had to struggle to survive, but instead found themselves with time. They began to think. They thought about time. They asked: 'what happens when we die?' They designed new tools, discovered new materials, developed laws both social and scientific, invented machines and created medicines. Their contribution to society was abstract, but immeasurably important.
People began to live long lives, and have large families. Life was easy.
And here we are.
As children, we are tested every day. That is to say we are learning something new all the time. Growing physically and discovering new abilities. At school we learn our history, science, art, literature, and try to understand the world around us in an abstract way. We do a little wood and metal work, preparing for practical tasks. We take part in sports and try to prepare our bodies for physical challenges.
We undergo this testing preparation for longer than the first humans' average life spans.
But as adults it is fair to say that those who came before were tested so much more than we are today. We (and by 'we' I am speaking of those of us in the developed world) have jobs which provide us with medical insurance, food from the local supermarket, apartments with comfy beds and running water. We are tested by our jobs sometimes, in a cerebral way, and sometimes we play games which test us in a physical way. Some of us even choose to go on adventures. Those of us who don't have jobs, may well live in comparatively dire conditions, but we still get medical attention, and we are still provided with food and shelter.
Many adults don't seem to realise that we don't need to stop growing and learning once we finish school. The smart ones carry on testing themselves. They continue to learn, and experience new emotions and situations, just as they did as children. Through this they equip themselves to be invaluable members of society, and make a larger contribution to our species as a whole.
Others fall into a routine. A cycle of day to day life that keeps their minds occupied, but inevitably does not test their resourcefulness or help them grow. They make their contribution, but no more. It is certainly not my intention for that to seem insulting. We all gotta do what we all gotta do, but my concern is that people are missing out on the beauty of expanding their minds, or pushing their bodies to new levels of fitness. Just learning something new can give such a sense of purpose.
This is unfinished!
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