Human beings are a social animal, and that means that humans
need other humans. I imagine it began as
a protective sort of thing with bands of humans surviving better than
loners. I’m sure it quickly moved into a
hunting kind of thing. Hunting in groups
gives a much better chance at taking down game than hunting alone, and that
means more food. Then it moved on to
agriculture. A group of people can
certainly plant and tend more crops than a single person, and this gives the
group a survival edge. From there it
went to specialized skills. One person
could work much better with stone or leather than another person, while that
other person worked much better at, say, food preparation or farming. So people banned together to share their
skills, to protect one another, and to feed their children.
Of course, it goes beyond that. People need each other. People need love and affection. They need conversation. They need camaraderie. They need the comfort of knowing that someone
else is beside them. When they don’t get
these things for prolonged periods, they often go “funny in the head.” I’ve seen people like that, and it’s tragic.
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| An isolated home on the shore in Maine. |
Then there are those who live in isolated areas in homes
hidden away, such as the one you see in this photo. Make no mistake: this person still needs other people for
supplies, friendship, etc. But those
needs are met only occasionally and only when necessary, and the rest of the
time is spent alone in nature. Not
everyone can live this way. Many people
think they can because they get frustrated with a hectic lifestyle, but when
given the opportunity, those same people go insane in an isolated atmosphere
such as this.
Here in Maine
we are lucky to have many isolated areas with very few people or none at
all. Here in Maine, if you want, you can have a fabulous
and breathtaking view to look at every day and no one with whom to share
it. It takes a different kind of person
to live this way. I am one of these
people. Are you?
