Saturday, September 1, 2018Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2006. Mattie was four years old and each August I took him to Los Angeles to visit my parents. Mattie was standing in front of one of the famous La Brea tar pits. This pit is right outside the George C. Page Museum. The Museum houses and exhibits paleontological discoveries from the very site on which it sits. As discovered by early occupants of Rancho La Brea, asphalt deposits underlie the whole Hancock Park area and contain the fossils of thousands of Ice Age animals that got trapped in the sticky pools.
Literally the smell of tar by this pit is overwhelming. Mattie found the whole experience fascinating and never got tired of visiting it each year.
Quote of the day: I was constantly humiliated. Among people, I learned to hate and to be embarrassed. ~ Marcos RodrÃguez Pantoja
My mom sent me an article that captured my attention. It is entitled, How to be human: the man who was raised by wolves. The article highlights the life of Marcos Rodriguez, a man who was abandoned by his parents at age 7, and was left to raise himself in the mountains of Spain. Nothing about his story is positive. His mother died before he turned 7. His father remarried, but this mom was cruel to him and constantly beat him. One day a "rich man" came to his parents home and Marcos left with him. Never to see his parents again. What he found out was he was sold to the "rich man" to tend to his 300 goats in a very deserted part of the mountains. Historians claim that it was common in the rural south for children from impoverished families to be sent to the mountains to look after sheep and goats in exchange for money. However, it was VERY uncommon to sell your child for money, like what happened to Marcos.
Marcos had NO ONE in the mountains to raise and support him, other than the animals like wolves. He was raised by wolves, who protected and sheltered him. With no one to talk to, he lost the use of language, and began to bark, chirp, screech and howl. At the age of 20, he was found by police and was taken from the mountains. He was forced to live back in society and was placed in convents, abandoned buildings and hostels all over Spain. He worked odd jobs on construction sites, in bars, nightclubs and hotels. He was robbed and exploited, as people took advantage of his unworldliness. Some people did try to help him, but most found him awkward and uncommunicative, and he was largely shunned by society.
Marcos admits that he has always had a bad time living among humans. Which makes perfect sense since the nightmare began with his parents. Someone even tried to reunite Marcos (as an adult) with his father, and his father was not interested in meeting his son. There is research that highlights the window of language development. Meaning that if a child isn't exposed to hearing words by a certain age, the child will never be able to communicate verbally. However, reading this story, I would say there is also a window into socialization. Because Marcos spent his formative years with animals, he did not have the opportunity to learn the complexities of dealing with humans. Humans who can say one thing but mean something totally different. The art of making judgments, knowing who to trust, and how to advocate for one's self for example. Therefore, the window into socialization closed, making it almost impossible for Marcos to live in what we would consider a 'normal' setting.
The article mentions that Marcos felt he could communicate with wolves, snakes, and other animals. He discusses how the animals looked out for him. Of course scientists refute both possibilities, but since scientists haven't lived his experiences, I am not sure how they know there isn't some truth to this belief. I find it particularly fascinating though that Marcos feels it was easier to live in the remote mountains with animals than in our human society. It is an intriguing story that highlights the frailty, cruelty, and hatred that lives within humans. All characteristics that are not in the lexicon of animals. When Marcos was vulnerable in the mountains, the animals became his friends, and he felt secure with them. Whereas, when integrated back in society (still being vulnerable... no language abilities, didn't understand human behavior, customs, and actions, and no money), he wasn't greeted with kindness, empathy, and support. But instead taken advantage of and made to feel very inadequate.
Seems we have a lot to learn from our animal friends!
Read the story for yourself:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/28/how-to-be-human-the-man-who-was-raised-by-wolves
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