“Some men draw a circle around themselves and protect those who are in it: Wife and children. Some men draw a bigger circle around themselves and protect more: Mother, uncles, aunts, grandchildren. Some men draw a big, big circle around themselves and protect many, many more. There comes a point in a man’s life when he must find out for himself, which of those men will he be.” – Movie 10,000BC
That quote is one of those rare cinematic lines that transcends the screen — it strikes at the very architecture of human morality. It asks, quietly but firmly: How wide is the circle you draw around your heart?
The line from 10,000 BC feels ancient, almost archetypal — as if whispered through generations. It doesn’t just speak of protection; it speaks of purpose. Every human being, whether conscious of it or not, is constantly deciding the radius of their compassion. Some live with hearts small and heavily guarded, protecting only what they can touch. Others, through experience, love, or tragedy, expand that circle — to include neighbors, communities, and sometimes, all of humanity.
The Measure of a Life
We live in a time where the boundaries of our circles are being tested daily. The Climate and Ecological (Green) Emergency has made it impossible to pretend that our choices affect only ourselves. When the air grows thick with smoke from wildfires thousands of miles away, or when rising seas swallow distant shores, we are reminded that every circle eventually overlaps with another.
That’s what makes this quote so hauntingly relevant today. It reminds us that Adaptive Resiliency, from the standpoint of both self and collective preservation, isn’t just about survival — it’s about moral evolution. It’s about asking, Who do I include when I say “us”?
The Circle as a Reflection of Character
Some circles are drawn out of fear — tight, narrow, unyielding. They are built from the instinct to protect what’s familiar, what feels safe. But history’s most luminous souls — those who became architects of compassion and justice — dared to draw circles so wide that they embraced strangers, enemies, and even generations yet unborn.
Think of Martin Luther King Jr., who expanded his circle beyond race to include the universal call for justice. Think of Greta Thunberg, a young girl who drew her circle so wide it wrapped around the planet. Or Daisaku Ikeda, who said, “A great human revolution in just a single individual can transform the destiny of an entire society.”
Each of them, in their own way, redefined protection — not as a shield against others, but as a covenant with all life.
The Sacred Duty of the Present
There comes a moment — perhaps in youth, perhaps later — when a person must look into the mirror of conscience and ask: Have I been brave enough to care beyond my comfort?
This moment is not dramatic or loud; it often comes quietly. Maybe it happens while watching news of a flood in another nation, or when a child asks, “Why are the forests burning?” It’s in these still moments that we are called to redraw our circles — not in ink or sand, but in action.
The truth is, to fight for a livable planet, to stand against greed and apathy, is to declare that your circle includes all future generations. It is to say: I will not pass on a broken world to my children.
Why This Must Be Engraved in Us
This quote should not just be remembered — it should be engraved in the depths of our daily decisions. Because every act of kindness, every vote for justice, every stand against exploitation — widens the circle. Each moment we choose empathy over indifference, we move closer to the kind of humanity that deserves to endure.
There’s a sacred promise hidden inside those words: that our circles are not fixed. They can grow — if we choose courage over convenience.
The Circle We Leave Behind
When our time here ends, what will matter most is not how large our house was, but how wide our circle became. Who felt safer, more inspired, or more loved because we existed?
The greatest legacy we can leave our children is not wealth, but a world that breathes. A world still green, still possible. A world where compassion is not rare but instinctive.
That is the essence of Adaptive Resiliency, from the standpoint of both self and collective preservation — to live as if your circle includes every beating heart, every river, every seed that might one day rise into a tree your great-grandchild will rest beneath.
A Final Reflection
“There comes a point in a man’s life when he must find out for himself which of those men he will be.”
That point is now — for every one of us.
We must each decide how far our love will reach, how deep our responsibility will go, and how fiercely we’ll fight for a world worthy of handing to our children.
If ever there was a moment to draw a bigger circle — this is it.
empowerment & inner transformation... 
Leave a comment