XPost: alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.buddha.short.fat.guy   
   From: wudao@wuji.net   
      
   Ned asked:   
      
   >Does any species of any kind, except humans, preserve   
   >their elderly?   
      
   A quick google suggests elephants do.   
   Also wolves and crows.   
      
   Wikipedia also has:   
   "Mongooses support elderly, ... "   
   but there is no citation provided for the claim.   
      
   >  In the social and hierarchical species it   
   >seems that when the alpha of any specific group gets   
   >weak he is taken out by one of the contending subordinates.   
   >Of course this happens in humans, but it is a special case   
   >of group leadership.  In the vast majority of humanity, the   
   >frail elderly are preserved.   
   >   
   >  Is this entirely the result of   
   >language?  Or to back up, (1) Is it genetic?, and (2) Is it   
   >the result of language and the group-preserving value of   
   >lore and accumulated wisdom?   
      
   As an organic whole, it is entirely woven   
   into the fabric of the uncut cloth, I'd guess.   
   It's everything. Not just one factor.   
      
   If any factor of a so-called product is removed   
   what results is a different product.   
   Except for one. Math-wise.   
      
   >It seems we preserve all our elderly, even those with no   
   >capacity to help the group, indicating that is it genetic.   
   >But language appears to be a recent evolutionary adaptation,   
   >implying that there has not been time for this to be genetically   
   >selected.   
      
   If elephants definitely care for their elderly,   
   which one website claimed they do,   
   it may involve their relationships   
   with mind and death.   
      
   In those factors, elephants and people   
   might share a congruence of sorts.   
      
   Crows are smart and share information.   
   If so, lore and accumulated wisdom may pertain.   
      
   It's possible that non-duality/compassion,   
   as liaM and brian sense, is not limited to people.   
      
   Once upon a time there was a pack   
   of wolves howling at the moons in a lake.   
      
   One wolf, looking up, saw the Moon.   
      
   Now we know why.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)