When I give talks about our ADT Journey I usually mention something about Trail Angel Day, what we named the day where we received the greatest number of separate acts of kindness. Ironically, this day came along one of the most remote stretches of the trail. Why we would receive the most kindness on that day provides insight as to what enables kindness in our society.
One day out of Carver, Nevada we were following ATV roads in the desert country east of Mt. Jefferson. This occurred on the fourth of July weekend, prime time for recreationists. We encountered only about ten vehicles, but that was ten more then what was normal for us as we hiked through Nevada. This became our trail angel day because all ten stopped to offer us assistance in some way.
The Nevada desert country was experiencing a heat wave during that summer weekend. Add to that the intestinal bug I had as we began this seven day stretch with our heavy packs. In other words, I probably looked pathetic. This gets to the basic reason people are kind; we have empathy. We feel each others joys; we feel each others sorrows. Looking at a sickly old guy carrying a heavy pack during a Nevada desert heat wave gets the “empathy juices” flowing. Without empathy no one would have cared; few would have stopped.
The fact that we encountered recreationists on their ATVs hints at another reason for kindness, belonging. Sometimes just two people belonging to the same human race is enough to induce an act of kindness, yet further cause for belonging increases the likelihood of kindness. We were outdoor travelers; our trail angels were outdoor travelers. They saw in us a kindred spirit rather than a possible threat or inconvenience to them, such as often occurs with people’s reaction to the homeless.
There is one more reason for kindness our Trail Angel Day in Nevada reveals. Consider that Kansas is known as the friendliest state along the ADT, and even the remote sections of Kansas has far more people than the desert country of Nevada. I doubt we appeared anymore a threat to the people of Kansas than those from Nevada. We had our days of bad weather and illness in that state as well. Why didn’t everyone stop to assist us along the way?
The answer is leisure. Contrary to the notion conveyed by Enlightenment philosophers, “primitive” humans had plenty of leisure in natural, nomadic band societies. Much less leisure occurs to productive folks in civilized societies. Most people driving their cars along a paved or dirt road in Kansas, or anywhere else, are in a hurry to get somewhere. People driving their ATVs in the backcountry on a fourth of July weekend in Nevada, or anywhere else, are at leisure.
Empathy, belonging, leisure. The first is a constant, a part of most humans in any society. The second takes a hit in civilized society, as we belong to other things like nations states or corporations rather than each other, yet still occurs in good measure. The third is what civilized society undermines, and in so doing undermines our kindness as well.
