Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cousins

How many people escaped the savannas of Africa to confront the Neanderthal of Europe?  There is a theory that we walk upright simply because once we left the safety of the tree filled jungles we needed to stand upright to see the predators in the tall grass of the savannas.  And another theory that once out of these jungles where fruit and nuts were in abundance we ate fish and meat, more protein and our brains got bigger.
Even today people from Northern China are wheat eaters and much bigger than their rice eating Southern counterparts.  Somehow I think we are all related.
   I have more cousins than I could count.  They are a scattered bunch and much like the natives who escaped the deepest, darkest African Continent, they are all over the world.  Eating fish and chips I suppose in England and whatever it is that Canadians eat.  Seal eyeballs and whale blubber?  Just joking, cuz!  I know it is Subway Sandwiches!  Food is so International now.  Meaning we get the same refined processed crap everywhere we go!  Everything measured by the McDonald's Standard!
   I think I have a cousin who lives in the same town that I do but I don't really know for sure.  I have cousins whom I have never ever met.  When my uncles were alive we had family reunions and I would meet these strangers whose only connection might be a smattering of DNA.  They have long since died off and now there are no meetings in the park, no shared stories, no family connections.  We are strangers now
   Somewhere deep in a history I have no memory of,  I miss this Tribalism, this clanmanship, a connecting "Popsie" or elder who held us together.  I think that must be my DNA and not my brain or the other way around.  I don't know.  There is a necessity to escape and like birds who fly their nest we must spread out and venture on our own.
   Yes, Hi, Megandy Moo Cow!  You were two or three and I was nine or ten and we walked to the store a half mile away and I held your hand the entire way and we were careful of the cars!  Tribalism. Protective.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah...McDonalds...my favorite food group!

Barbra Joan said...

this is a test Jerry, I'm having problems with my passwords, accounts , it sometimes goes over into my ability to post comments on other blogs... sorry for the inconveinence ... bj

Kay said...

Jerry this is such a good post. My sister and I were commenting just the other day that when my Mother goes..there will be a severe gap in our clan ..or should I say the glue that keeps us meeting those strangers who share our DNA

SooZeQue said...

It's a sad thing. My Mother the final Matriarch of our clan, who calls all cousins far and wide and is constantly on the phone and then relays all the information back and forth of who's doing what today... she'll be the last one to do that long honored job. I guess the X generation of not giving a rats ass about anything will have no idea if they're marrying their cousin Joe or not! That's what happened when you took the front porch and decided to wall it in and put it in the backyard. People don't know whats going on in the neighborhood or the family. Bummer.