“O human race born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall.” — Dante Alighieri
Someone very close to me posted a picture this morning. It was taken from Wild Words from Wild Women, a calendar of “empowering” quotes for women. It said, “Human beings are sloshing sacks of chemicals on the move…” The quote itself was initially written by Diane Ackerman, the poet and naturalist from whom we’ve received books like The Zookeepers Wife. My friend posted the quote in reference to the many negative actions we’ve seen during the outbreak of the corona-virus.
Now, I must confess I know little of the poetic works of Ackerman, but for this woman who shared the quote, this kind of post was out of character. Usually the intensely focused and temperamentally positive type, I was concerned by this seemingly jaded point of view. One that I hoped was not a result of my own jaded views rubbing off onto her.
I asked her if this is really how she felt about humanity, and she responded by listing reasons why she thought the quote was accurate. “They (people) have no critical thinking skills, no ability to endure challenge or hardship, no empathy, no fortitude, no grace, and no ability to adapt to stress.”
Though I believe this quote is often sadly correct, I also despise the point of view that humanity, or human…
