Ever thought whom did we have to cite the most if we were to comprehend our body’s functionality? Unarguably, the spine will be the busiest of the lot. Like a city’s roundabout, the spinal cord is the fulcrum of control: letting intents turn into actions without hassle. 

Adaptability is the lingua franca of any thriving species with reference to their environment. The development of a distinctive spine in human beings was motivated by habits which made our survival in the wild efficient.

We could walk and run faster, coordinate our movements, and carry heavy objects without the fear of sustaining an injury. The upright position also helped distribute bodily heat to aid in walking in the sun for longer hours; one could reach a farther distance through their eyes. 

These days, however, it may appear that one has a functional nervous system yet is spineless. Outreaching its bodily duties, our backbone is now synonymous with personality traits­– principle, courage, grit, & resilience. Our spine is our moral fibre.

But how did the centrepiece of our concrete limbs spread over to an idea as abstract as morality? This also makes one wonder how a structure that upholds something as personal as the sensory experience became analogous to a societal scaffold of the human condition. 

The vertebral column posits the human body in the external world. A straight back, aligned body, and proprioception optimized the man: an alert gait effectively moulded the barter between the senses and the (then threatening) surroundings. 

As the posture solidified, the gestures symbolized it. To stand the ground amidst a predatory upheaval began to represent courage. The tribe was often saved by their upright leader. Exuding integrity created a ripple of cohesion within the group.

Displays of behavior conducive to survival saved the day (and sometimes night as well), while the opposite endangered our species. As language developed, mythology layered its foundation upon symbols of right and wrong. 

The ascension of virtues and vices gave mankind two ways to think. One was appreciative and the other, forbidden – but both were participatory; within the reach of our senses. With an expanding civilization, human experiences stretched between these two poles. 

Theatricality of the human experiences made the spectators aware of the protrusion of acts as a character. The referent actions of ancient times started to shrink and make space for vivid metaphors; the broad shoulders could, now, also carry responsibilities with heavy logs.