All about Dudekind

Maybe this blog is a little too stream of consciousness. Its meant to be a place where you can experience life from above the ground. 

Just a blink ago, in geologic time, we all spent most of our nights in trees. Various theories have us coming down. One of the things separating us from other hominids was our ability to share. To think in the abstract, and plan for the future, took an attitude of sharing.

Then the fields (poetical to call them savannah) of Africa, where Dudekind first learned to hunt. Apparently we were omnivorous before we learned to hunt. Then we found out about growing stuff. All this took cooperation. We literally ran down those animals. Relay racing was born form necessity. And carrying a stick in the relays we run now is so primal, isn't it? Bang that sucker on the head when you catch up. Maybe the stick used to be a spear.

At any rate, we still carry, encoded into our bodies, bits of information from ancestral hunts, and climbs we took to evade the animals we feared. Many of us are real close to agrarian life, Dudekinds third-nearest evolution, and the one that gets so much attention. (Then comes Industrial, then comes information age). We tend to look at Farmers in the soft glow of the good old days. Come to think of it, that's how we see Ancient Hunters, too, and the incredibly unsung Gatherers, precursors to the information age.

If it weren't for the women, the Gatherers, we probably never would have developed into a society of any size. Can't you see them sitting in a circle, planning the next move, shucking roots, or berrying, and discussing where to move next? So much like the modern boardroom.

 Men had to be more non-verbal, hunting. Wave the hand over there; everyone intently watching the other (like high school is for boys, still) everyone knowing little, but watching for a cue. Everyone listening to the wind, shifting as it shifts, hearing the crack as a grass-eater makes a false step. Closing in, still in silence, still just watching the moves.

Then the one with the best position moves. Like a breakaway in cycling, it becomes an instant free-for-all. The animal is suddenly part of the game; is game; bolts, is hit, turns, is hit, and goes down. The silverback comes in for the kill, avoiding the hoofs and delivering the final blow. Then singing out. Just like guys today, watching the Olympics, quietly digest the patter, and shout with glee as a winner delivers the final step, or blow, or throw.

Its easy to figure out lots of our behavior when we study a little anthropology. Its a big interest to me because Dudekind is my species, and its fun to see how we are replaying the old dances and hunts. Its like not-so-instant-replay to try and understand ourselves.

We love to share, and it has kept us alive over the millenia. What has gone around definitely comes around again. The loners in society tend to die off, some by their own hands. I think sharing is so deeply ingrained it is more than a choice for us; almost instinctual.

I have a teacher who says; "Try it for yourself, but check it out in your body, not just your head." His advice is usually directed toward spiritual things, but try this. Think about this blog as you watch the Olympic relays, especially the men and women's 4x400 or 4x100. Think about it as you watch soccer, or Tae Kwan Do. How does it feel in your heart to watch a come-from-behind win? Or to witness battle? My heart beats fast, and unfounded joys take over. My head fills with images from the wide open plains we all came form, and the strong ones, lining up for a race, man or woman, I want to share  some food with, and be around them. I crave a tribal  bond with the winners, and even the losers who have such unbelievable,indomitable heart.