Heroes Not Zombies

Five years ago I was in Madrid, sitting in one of the many plazas enjoying a glass of wine and I noticed a statue getting a lot of attention. It’s a statue of the poet, Lorca, where he is setting free a bird. You know how certain statues have highly polished parts because so many people have felt compelled to touch them over many years? There are just some statues which call out, silently, to be touched. The ones which touch the people who come near, I suspect. Like « Greyfriars Bobby » in Edinburgh. Well, Lorca’s statue seems to be one of those.

I was particularly struck by this little girl’s response to the statue. Look how she is cuddling Lorca? She’s the very picture of affection.

I’ve looked at this photo many times and every time it touches my heart. It puts me in touch with those flows of kindness, tenderness and affection which run through us all.

I know we are surrounded by stories of cruelty and violence. I know human beings can be capable of the most despicable acts. But there’s something else which runs through us all. You could call it love. You could call it socialisation. You could call it empathy. You could call it the desire to care and be cared for.

It’s present from the moment of birth. No baby would survive without it. No child would thrive without it.

We humans are no solitary creatures. We have achieved what we have achieved as a species. We learn from each other, teach other, support each other, work with and care for each other. If we didn’t, we’d all perish.

I don’t know, I just think it’s worth remembering that from time to time. After all maybe the future depends on our strengthening that connection with our « better angels »

What do you think?