I had the profound honour to spend time with an extended family who had recently lost a grandchild. A young grandchild. A mother's loss.
Everyone connects to others. How well we connect is influenced by where we've branched off. The further up the trunk you've branched off, the less connected.
Conventionally accepted, mass distributed science claims the Mitochondrial Mother was born in West Africa. I don't feel her from there. I have shared my doubts with others, people who, at least to me, seem to have branched off or be connected further down the family tree. If you can feel the origin of humanity, people seem to feel her from East Africa.
Empathy is a challenge. None of us need to empathise less. Learning better empathy is a 改善。
Mr. Jobs was prone to crying. So am I. He did, and I do, connect on a level with humanity that frightens daily. Sometimes I'm amazed. Sometimes I'm bored by the constant onslaught of godly interaction in the human realm which seems to go mostly unnoticed. I take too much for granted.
Rangoon, Burma circa 1964
Perhaps the problem is the grass is greener, however, I want a large family. The one and done is poplular among well educated folks. If I had to squeeze an apple out my nose, one might be enough.
While sitting with this family yesterday, I was overcome. I had met them only moments before. Nonetheless, the love one felt among the generations needed no words.
I was in Utah. I saw a man managing his offspring at an In 'n Out with natural ease. His wife spoke with a friend. His children were in various states of adherence, and I walked over to him, shook his hand, and told him I was only blessed with one.
With this family yesterday, grieving their loss, I realised my family is large. Extraordinarily large. Everyone my child. Now and forever.
