Savage vs. Civilized

Savage vs. Civilized

I saw a tweet the other day that said, "So and so country is savage." And, it made me think about what the words 'savage' and 'civilized' really mean.

The human race is made up of nothing more than very smart animals. I use the word smart because intelligent means something else entirely.  An animal, when trapped, can turn into the ultimate savage and humans are no different.

On the other hand, we can be very civilized, too.  We can be very generous when someone else is in trouble or danger.  We read of incredible generosity when the tsunami killed so many people in 2004.  And again in Haiti after the earthquake there.

 All you have to do is look at charities to see both civilized and savage.  Some charities will give a great majority of cash received to the needy while others will give pennies on the dollar.  Civilized vs. Savage, indeed.

We humans can never escape our animal nature.  Some of us can sublimate it and work toward being civilized.  We become altruistic, giving and loving.  Others, struggle to reach upward to what most of us would call unfriendly.  It's sometimes a very difficult effort for them to care about society at all.

Here's the problem: All of us, every one, is trapped somewhere between the two.  There is a long distance seperating savage and civilized and we all walk the path between.  Sometimes nearer to one end and then, in an instant, nearer the other; but never fully at one end.

My wish for anyone who reads this is that you struggle to stay as near to the 'good end' as you can.

Walk the Path in Grace