文明的起點 — 瑪格麗特·米德的故事

在網路上看到這一則故事,非常適合與姊弟倆分享—人類的文明,並不只是外在技術的進步,而是心靈層次的提升:慈悲心,同情心,互助的合作.

請 chat gpt 幫忙整理了中英文雙版故事 + 思考題.

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文明的起點 — 瑪格麗特·米德的故事

The Beginning of Civilization — Margaret Mead’s Story

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一個午後，在大學教室裡，一名學生舉手問米德教授：「您在人類學的研究裡，覺得人類文明最早的證據是什麼？是石刀？陶罐？還是漁網？」
One afternoon, in a university classroom, a student raised his hand and asked Professor Mead: “In your studies of anthropology, what do you think is the earliest evidence of human civilization? Is it a stone knife? A clay pot? Or maybe a fishing net?”

米德教授微笑著搖搖頭，回答：「都不是。」
Professor Mead smiled, shook her head, and answered, “None of those.”

教室裡安靜下來，大家等著她的解釋。
The classroom grew quiet, and everyone waited for her explanation.

她接著說：「文明最早的證據，是一根癒合過的大腿骨。」
Then she continued: “The earliest evidence of civilization is a healed femur — a healed thigh bone.”

學生們面面相覷，有些困惑不解。
The students looked at each other, confused.

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.

.

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別急著往下看，

停下來想一想為甚麼米德教授會這麼回答？

Pause and think why Professor Mead

did not choose stone tools or clay pots,

but instead chose "a healed thigh bone"?

.

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米德教授解釋道：「在野外，如果一個人的大腿骨折斷，他就無法走路、無法狩獵或採集，也無法逃避野獸。照理說，他會很快死亡。」
Professor Mead explained: “In the wild, if a person’s thigh bone is broken, they cannot walk, cannot hunt or gather food, and cannot escape from predators. Normally, they would die quickly.”

她停頓了一下，語氣變得柔和：「但是這根大腿骨斷過，卻癒合了。這代表什麼？代表有人照顧過這個受傷的人——有人把食物帶來，有人守護他，直到他康復。」
She paused, her voice softening: “But this thigh bone had been broken and then healed. What does that mean? It means someone cared for this injured person — someone brought food, someone offered protection, until the person recovered.”

學生們的眼神逐漸明亮起來，他們開始明白教授的意思。
The students’ eyes began to brighten as they started to understand her point.

米德教授最後說：「文明的開始，不是製作工具，而是我們願意停下來，幫助受傷的同伴。」
Professor Mead concluded: “The beginning of civilization is not in making tools, but in choosing to stop and help a fellow human being who is in need.”

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這個故事常被引用來提醒我們：人類最寶貴的不是智慧或科技，而是同情心與互助的精神。
This story is often quoted to remind us: the most precious part of humanity is not intelligence or technology, but compassion and the spirit of helping one another.

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思考題（中英文雙版）

Reflection Questions (Bilingual)

1. 你覺得米德教授為什麼不選擇石器或陶罐，而是選擇「癒合的大腿骨」？
   Why do you think Professor Mead did not choose stone tools or clay pots, but instead chose “a healed thigh bone”?

2. 在你的生活中，有沒有遇過別人幫助你的時刻？那種經驗讓你有什麼感受？
   In your own life, have you ever experienced someone helping you when you needed it? How did that make you feel?

3. 如果你看到同學或朋友遇到困難，你會願意停下來伸出援手嗎？為什麼？
   If you saw a classmate or friend struggling, would you be willing to stop and help? Why or why not?

4. 你認為現代社會中，什麼行為可以算是「文明的開始」在延續？
   What actions in today’s society do you think continue this “beginning of civilization”?