These diseases arose from changes in diet and lifestyle that started 10,000 years ago. Some of these diseases became problems because of more crowded living conditions. When people live near one another, it s easier to pass germs around. Warfare increased too as people started fighting over valuable farm and grazing land. Maybe the greatest change of all is in the way we look at nature.
Nature seems separate from human beings.
To many people, it is something we visit on vacation. We don t even think of ourselves as animals any more. As I sit here in the shadow of Mt. Olorgesailie, tapping away on my laptop, I feel sadly disconnected from the being who formed the hand-axes that litter the ground behind me. Our tools have changed and so have we. At least I think we have.