It can enrich your life, it can make your life more interesting and it can save your life. On a December morning in 2004, ten year-old Tilly Smith used it. She saved countless lives that day.
The idea for today's topic comes from an article written in the Chicago Tribune by way of the Tampa Tribune. It's a quick read, go check it out.
Here's the part that jumped off the page into my head: "....the United Nations...asked anthropologists...to collect and record the kind of indigenous knowledge that was key to...islander's survival."
Couldn't we all be anthropologists? Couldn't we all collect and record knowledge? Maybe even the kind of knowledge that could save ours or someone else's life? And how much fun could we have doing it? And how much value could we instill in an other's life when we ask them questions and listen attentively to their answers?
Okay, the kind of knowledge that Tilly used produced dramatic results and captured global attention. The odds that you would ever be in this position are slim. I wonder however, if you could be an anthropologist of your profession? Or an anthropologist of your kitchen? Or an anthropologist of your garden? Or an anthropologist of your muscle car?
It's about seeking out people who know and asking them who, what, how, why and when. It's about connecting with an other's human side to learn. It's about cultivating your mind. It's about life. It is knowledge.
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