In 1969, the Hollies recorded the big hit “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother”. The song was written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Russell, at the time, was dying of lymphoma. It was the last song he wrote.

It’s said that the song was inspired by a true story but it’s not clear which story exactly. Here’s one of the earliest versions:

In 1884, Scottish clergyman, James Well, wrote in his book, “The Parables of Jesus,” the story of a young girl carrying a big baby boy. When asked if she wasn’t tired from carrying him, she replied “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

Father Edward Flanagan liked the girl’s quote so much that he appropriated it to use as the motto for Boys Town, his children’s home in Nebraska. However, the young girl carrying her brother in Father Flanagan’s story was replaced by a boy with polio, Howard, who’d been abandoned at the home. One of the older boys, Reuben, carried the younger boy up the stairs and, when asked if Howard was heavy, Reuben replied, according to Father Flanagan, “he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

In 1938, a film was made about Boys Town with Spencer Tracey playing the role of Father Flanagan. Unfortunately, years later Boys Town would be involved in a pedophile scandal. 

There’s the story, often negated by scholars, that, when asked what the earliest sign of civilization was, Margaret Mead responded “a healed femur.” Because the femur, a bone important for walking, if fractured takes weeks and weeks to heal. If you break your femur and can’t walk, you’ll die unless you have someone to stay with you to help you heal. The point being that civilized people understand the importance of sustaining one another.

The tyrants are on the loose and they’re vindicative. Their moral compass is broken if at all they ever had one. That’s why we need to watch over ourselves. That’s why we need to watch out for one another.

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Related:

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – Wikipedia +

Major Findings of Investigation Into Alleged Sex Abuse at Boys Town, Fundraising Approach + Franklin child prostitution ring allegations + Pedophilia +

Quote Origin: A Healed Femur Is the Earliest Sign of True Civilization + Empathy and Evolution (part 3)