My wife and I are continuing to read the cheerful book, Tropic of Capricorn. The author has reached Australia, a continent I have never visited. Trucie, closer than I am, is welcome to correct me if I display ignorance.
He discusses the plight of the Australian aboriginals, people who have for the most part not been able to adapt to modern civilization, in a sense similar to the San of Botswana. Is it not interesting that we set aside (rather reluctantly, to be sure) wild life preserves for creatures such as elephants and leopards that can not easily survive in modern civilization (and cause us quite a bit of inconvenience when they wander in by rude activities such as stepping on us or eating us), but we do not often set aside “wild human” refuges for people who are better suited for hunting and eating the wild animals we want to preserve than wearing suits and living in cubicles where they can be safely depressed while reading posts such as this on the Internet?
Don’t ruminate! Do something! Get some exercise! Hunt down a kudu! Or a deer! Look, one just ran down your street, pursued by a coyote or a leopard or a dingo! Run out of your cubicle, rip off your clothes, leap on the back of an elephant, or a camel (some run wild across Australia), and join in the fun!
Collapse of Civilization 
I got into an argument with a man at a friend’s barbeque at the weekend over the question of “what to do about the Aborigines”… which of course begs a whole lot more questions along the lines of “well, short of getting the hell out of Australia and letting them return to whatever they can still salvage of the lifestyle they thrived on for 60,000 years, what do you suggest?”
It seems harsh that we look at Aboriginal communities blighted by poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, diabetes etc etc and scratch our heads as to why these people don’t want the neat little houses and fridges and lawns that we want. But truly, to go from a semi-nomadic clan hunter-gatherer existence to a westernised monotheist capitalist democratic civilization in less than 200 years is asking a lot. And assuming a lot; such as, if its so good, why are we all so bloody stressed and miserable?
This is so good.
Renee, welcome to my blog and thank you for your kind words. I am slowly reading my way back on your blog.
May I refer people to this article in one of my blog entries?
Yes, Renee. You are very polite. You certainly may encourage people to read your blog entry. I look forward to reading it myself.