The Continuum Concept: Book Review

So I'd heard that I should read this book The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff while in a Child Development class or Infant development or something like that; we'd all been assigned to read books about child rearing, and one member of my class had had a riveting review of The Continuum Concept. Now don't get me wrong, everything I've read in the book about childrearing has been right on the money, as far as I can tell. The book promotes "child wearing" (you know, carrying your baby close to your body, in a sling, the hood of your parka, in an antelope skin, whatever,) rather then letting your babies be "container babies," (you know, those kids you see who barely ever enjoy human contact...they are always in a stroller, a crib, a car seat, a carrier, or something similar. This book also promotes breastfeeding (or bestfeeding, as I like to call it,) and the family bed.

So I like those aspects of The Continuum Concept. I do believe the world would be a happier and more peaceful place if we'd all grown up with loving arms always around us in our formative years, rather then as container babies. (I blame much of my adult unhappiness on my early years as a container baby; no doubt many of George W. Bush's problems lie in the same place.) Anyway, could world peace and harmony be achieved if we all just hugged more? Maybe, but most likely, not. Because even in primitive societies where people definitely met their quota of hugs per day, warfare was still pretty common. This anthropologist definitely buys into the idea of the "noble savage," that is, she believes if we all started living like the Yequana, the tribe she studied in particular, our problems would fade away; there would be no more violence, stress, work, anxiety, fear and so forth. She says because the Yequana where worn as children, and where constantly a part of the adult world, from day one, learning from observing from the level of the breast, they grow up to be confident, happy, contented people, living in harmony with the earth and all of it's creatures. No doubt, being nurtured in this way does go a long way toward making you a more mentally stable adult, but I do not believe it would erase all strife from the earth.

I was totally buying into everything being sold in The Continuum Concept at first; and then, tonight I started reading a zine by a friend of mine, Usul of the Blackfoot. The zine was about the misconceptions of "primitivists" and "rewilders" who claim that oppression, war and gender inequality would all just disappear if we just become primitive...kinda like what the book is suggesting. Usul refutes all of this with great examples of various "primitive" tribes who have had all of these things; noble savages none, humans all.

for a copy of Usul's zine, which is called Post Civ! A Deeper Exploration, just ask me and let me know your snail mail address and I'll send you one..it is really quite fascinating. For the book, you are on your own.

By the way, I think civilization is a major cause of most anxiety, stress, violence, fear and definitely work. I think the so-called "uncivilized" have it "right," but I do not buy into the noble savage ideals; of pretty naked people skipping through the jungle, eating figs and dancing in the firelight. I've learned through experience that most gatherer-hunter activities are 1) hard work for very small amounts of food 2) potentially dangerous in a variety of ways 3) require the cooperation of groups of people in order to accomplish anything. These three things also bring along the positive consequences of 1) enjoying and honoring the food you eat more 2) relying on your "tribe" more for help 3) turning work into social activities.

Love ya,
Carrot
TO THE UNCIVILIZED FUTURE!