Discovering What Our Ancestors Knew

We’ve all seen pictures of pre-historic images either carved or painted on rock, even if we’ve never witnessed them in person. Interpretations aside, they act as solid proof that humankind has lived on this planet far longer than we had surmised. When we compare a residency of thousands of years leaving minimum or no damage to the planet to the many varieties of conflict and destruction we currently endure, we marvel that humans are still here. Why haven’t we murdered one another for imagined gain already? Surely we’ve tried hard enough.

For fascinating viewpoints that feel encouraging, consider watching the National Geographic TV seven-edition series POLE TO POLE with Will Smith. He joins a specially chosen mentor for each location, exploring not merely extreme environments, but also the peoples who live in such places. Except for the scientists at the South Pole who must rely on modern technology, the other groups depend on wisdom earned over eons. I was particularly amazed that the Kalahari Desert bush people can track game through the soles of their bare feet by the vibrations of animals and even birds passing. The hunters set out across the desert with nothing but sticks and weeds to locate food and defend themselves from predators. For them, what they have is enough and their abilities are their pride. To his credit, Smith does his best to blend in with the peoples he encounters. He uses as much of their native language as he can and never treats them as lesser. He realizes he is the student. They, in turn, welcome the respect and effort he gives them, even when they find his know-how woefully lacking. The dangers he encounters are not manufactured, modified, or CGI but an integral part of each environment.

With programs that feature modern humans challenging themselves in hostile environments becoming common streaming fare, this series is refreshing. This is reality, the reality that preserved humankind. Those viewers whose hearts have not yet hardened must be touched when Smith travels to the Himalayas to research the secret to happiness. Most viewers recall the night when his golden future as a major film star fell at his feet at the Oscars, and he’s not shy about revealing his devastation. He learned that everything he valued was temporary. When he consults the Tibetan monks in the local monastery, they help him literally dance with the demons of death, a realization of mortality designed to set priorities in order. When he talks with a woman in the highest village on earth where the happiest people in the world (according to research) live, he finds her neighbors and her living on the edge of survival.  What makes them the happiest people is their community, their trust and love for one another. Like the Kalahari bushmen and the peoples of the Amazon, they laugh and sing and dance and share what they have. They pity the people in cities who live in emotional/spiritual deserts where the citizens fear one another and are dependent on outside help for daily life. They celebrate being a part of the natural world that has nurtured them and their ancestors since before history began.

What can viewers take away from the series? We learn about parts of the family of humankind that we were taught to scorn and why they’re happier than we are as current happiness indicators in our society grow darker. Apparently, we pay dearly for our isolated comforts and entertainments. Science reminds us we live more satisfying lives when we enjoy love and community. Viewers, like Will Smith, may realize insights unique to their particular situations as they step outside their conveniences.

*photo from istockphoto.com