The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” has its origins on the African continent. Efforts to determine its precise origins have proven fruitless. The phrase was popularized by Hilary Rodham Clinton in her 1996 book titled, “It Takes A Village”.
I use the phrase here in a broader context and to refer to what I feel is the healthiest form of social circle. I believe that since village life is what our bodies and minds are optimally evolved for, that such a social environment will be both the healthiest for us and also provide the best chance for our personal happiness and prosperity. It is also my contention that it is the absence of these particular social bonds that is the source of so many of our modern ills.
Physiologically, but more importantly neurologically, we have evolved little since the time tribal village life was the preeminent form of social structure about ten thousand years ago. Millions of years of evolution crafted and perfected us for this form of survival and it is this social model that essentially made us, flesh and bones, men and women, what we are today.
We are evolved with specific social needs and those needs are best reflected in the social structures of village life – multiple generations working together, helping each other, caring for each other, sharing stories and laughter, teaching one another, dealing with challenges, tragedies and triumphs and breaking bread together. This web of inter-dependency is the social environment which the human animal, a social animal by definition, is made for. It represents as it were our “ecological niche” and therefore our optimal environment.
Therefore as you develop your own social circle, keep in mind that for optimal health, you need not only four close, personal friends with whom you can share an intimate relationship but also friends old and young and from all walks of life who will keep you mentally healthy by challenging you and helping you see things from multiple perspectives. It takes village to raise a child yes, but it also takes a village for the adult that child will become to live a long, happy and fulfilled life.
