To the extinct, the lost and the forgotten

excerpts from Harari, Vandermeulen, and Casanave’s “Sapiens”

A.B. Godfreed

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photography by A.B. Godfreed

most human communication
is still gossip
our ability to create an imagined reality
out of words —
Gods, nations and companies,
learning to be afraid of new dangers
takes time

humans |
come out of the womb
like molten glass
large brains, using tools and great
learning abilities
superior technology and social skills
complex social structures are
huge advantages

here come the kings of the food chain
due to the advantages of fire
international serial killers
no fixed rate for human violence
all in
the space of a millennium or two

everything that comes together is
bound to be dissolved
remolding them will only scratch
or break them
maybe our primate cousins can teach us
“Anima”,
means spirit or soul

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This piece is composed solely out of phrases taken randomly from “Sapiens: A Graphic History: Volume One: The Birth of Humankind”, which is a graphic novel created by Yuval Noah Harari and co-written with David Vandermeulen — as an adaptation that is also illustrated by Daniel Casanave. It was published in 2020 by Jonathan Cape, London.

The graphic novel is based on Harari’s (2011) best-selling book, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”. In this comic book adaptation, human evolution is reimagined as a reality TV show with Harari as your guide, alongside a colorful cast of characters: Prehistoric Bill, Dr. Fiction, and Detective Lopez.

I bought this gem from Vidya Bookstore, early this year, and have enjoyed reading it immensely! Yet to get me volume two.

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A.B. Godfreed

Non-Entity with a clear purpose to transform self (& perhaps the world) through critical consciousness and Love.