Ch11. Are we really superior?

“Something that would give me the feeling I wasn’t the only one here who was supposed to be using his brain.” Pg 212 Ishmael states this sentence at the beginning of this chapter when the character wanted to be told the story of the Leavers. Ishmael kept asking him to give him a good reason to tell it and he kept responding words without much thought like: Why wouldn’t I be interested? Why not? Naturally if you told me the taker part I should know the Leaver. In some parts as I read the book I also thought that the main character was sometimes like wandering off and really not using his brain at its full potential. “They tried to stop living like Takers, but there was no other way for them to live. They failed because you can’t just stop being in a story, you have to have another story to be in.” pg 214 This quote has a very true significance that is if you are part of a group and you want to leave it you have to find another group because if not you would not know where to change. “Mother culture teaches that, before the revolution, human life was devoid of meaning, was stupid, empty and worthless. Prerevolutionary life was ugly. Detestable.” Pg 216 Mother culture has a lots of influence in us, it basically tells us what to do under certain situations. Mother culture also says that the Leavers didn’t know the benefits of agriculture but most people don’t know that before the plain Indians had horses they were agricultural people but after horses arrived they preferred to go back to hunting and gathering. “Takers believe in their revolution, even when they enjoy none of its benefits. There are no grumblers, no dissidents, and no counterrevolutionaries. They all believe profoundly that, however bad things are now, they’re still infinitely preferable to what came before.” Pg 219 I disagree with this quote because if you have a miserable life and you have the opportunity to change it to a primitive but happier life I would change it. “ When we want a yam, we simply go and dig one up – and if there are none to be found, we find something else just as good.” Pg 224 Leavers really live a life according to the world they don’t try to dominate it , they live along with it and life should be like that if you can’t get what you want just find comfort in other object and think of it as best. Leavers don’t really mind living like the rest of the animals they are like at the same level of life. We normally think that we are superior to the rest of the animals but if we have to face like a lion for power like one on one we won’t win we need our tools they are really stronger. Humans think that life is on their hand that they are greater than the gods but they can’t control nature so they are really in the hands of god unless we find a way to control everything in the planet. “The Takers are those who know good and evil, and the Leavers are…..? The Leavers are those who live in the hands of the gods.” Pg 229 so are we really like stronger or smarter than the Leavers?