Life Boat

It’s interesting to note what sort of prejudices people dispose of in need or acquire in leisure. My father pointed out that a lifeboat at sea was no place to decide that your distaste for emergency rations would stop you from partaking of them and surviving. There’s a certain felicity in being open to change – You continued to live.


People refuse help based on opinions about class, race, ethnicity, religion or education . A smart snap judgment is to abandon those things. But people don’t. Inflexible prejudice and survival do not a pair make.

My dad was not an anthropologist, but he understood something that is a foundation of the discipline: all our “Culture” is created. It’s those fervid evolved monkey brains spinning out fantasy after fantasy.
And as my dad pointed out, when you are in a lifeboat, you can’t keep those sort of fantasies and survive.
Is everyone at the oars?

4 Replies to “Life Boat”

  1. “And as my dad pointed out, when you are in a lifeboat, you can’t keep those sort of fantasies and survive.”

    And my dad pointed out that there’s no such thing as a hole in your end of the boat, so everyone needs to work together to keep the damn boat afloat.

  2. Hitting the nail on the head again. 🙂 ” “Culture” is created. It’s those fervid evolved monkey brains spinning out fantasy after fantasy.” Loved this line. Nowadays, you hear it as “We create our own reality”. Your dad was a smart man too.

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