Human life has come a long way over hundreds of generations. We’ve come all the way from very crude homes, possibly even caves, to penthouses atop skyscrapers in the city.

I believe we have not evolved much since the very beginning. It’s just that when we first got started we didn’t have very much to go on. We had a great mental potential but no experience. We think of early man as underdeveloped compared to us, and he was, but we dismiss his potential without crediting him for his progress. He had to learn everything for himself.

There were no schools he could go to. His only teacher was his experience. I don’t know how far back recorded history goes, but the Athenian general and statesman Aristides was born in 530 B.C. And Hippocrates the Greek “Father of medicine” was born in 460 B.C. Although people in those days did not have our values today, they certainly displayed a good deal of understanding. They may not have had the “Reverence for Life” as did Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) but they were not prehistoric cave men. Civilization, such as it was, has been around a long, long time.

The greatest hindrance to man’s progress has always been the same as it still is today, that being our failure to see all of humanity as brothers and sisters in the same boat. We see too many others as our superiors and inferiors. We squirm like worms in the bait can to get somewhere near the top, by hook or by crook. With everyone out for himself, we still tend to see acquaintances as enemies, and all too often they are. As intelligent creatures, willing to do our part in an intelligent civilization, we shouldn’t have to lock our doors at night.

We must learn how to educate our young more realistically. I truly believe that we are all more gifted with genius than we realize.

Human babies are gifted to become intelligent people, but due to the scramble of society, competing peers, seeming superiors, and misunderstandings, we all too often get off to a bad start, from which we may never recover, and from which we are resentful without knowing why.

The more people you actually like and admire, the happier your life will be, and the better you will live. The more you can forgive others for your perception of their mistakes, the more you will be able to accept yourself. The more you can accept yourself for who and what you are, and try to do your best at whatever it is, the more satisfying your life will be. These are not crazy ideas I have thought up, they are proven realities of being alive and well.

“What’s in it for me?” is Neanderthal thinking for oneself only. America, in existence for only about 245 years, has risen to become the richest country in the world. We are founded on the presumption of the equality of all people, with a spirit of cooperation among them. Tyrants never wish to give up their positions, and their enforcers want us to suckle them, but a baby can never seek his fortune, if he will not leave his mother’s breast.

We have now, finally, reached a new understanding of only a couple of generations ago. It comes to us through our latest and newest discoveries of the realities of our lives. We are becoming more and more aware that life is not controlled by hob-goblins, or other competing spirits who fight for control. All life has only one source.

We are now entering a time of rapid advancement. I certainly hope we can learn to make the most of it.

As has been said many times, “Hope springs eternal.” We have come to realize that life can be better than we have ever suspected. May God bless America.

Richard Westlund is a Collins resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com