Rock & Dance

The apes that first stood on two legs did so to fight. Climate changes knocked out the forests and all primates disappeared except those that learned how to fight with a rock in hand. Their enemies had been practicing ground fighting for 60 million years while they had adapted to a life in the trees. But the hand that could grip a branch could swing a stone with deadly force and even the odds against fast predators with sharp teeth.

It’s a boxer’s footwork supporting a twisting torso rather than a walker’s strut that explains the development of humans’ upright posture. Humans use their legs and feet with far greater skill than is required for walking. They dance, jump, hop, skip, skate, slide and kick. Dinosaurs ran on two legs, ostriches, birds and kangaroos use two legs. There’s not a footballer or ballerina among them.

The primate path to humanity began with rock & roll, not a march.

(Photo and text from the upcoming book System Humanity)