I'm back to questioning my motives

How many of the things that I do are clothed in thick layers of institution? Before there were ever such things as marriage, law, religion, family, economy, we still somehow knew that trust, communication, cooperation and innovation were useful ideas. Somewhere along the way, I picked up a lot of baggage that now is becoming a burden. So much of it is invented consequence, reward or penalty, that seems as needless and mythological as an easter bunny. Lately, I'm looking a little harder for the ideas that are really enduring. Beyond eating, sleeping, eliminating and sheltering, what other activities have come down from our most silent, most distant past? Which ideas are so enduring that they live even longer than the language to describe them? How many of the things that I do right now, would I still be doing if there were no rewards, no penalties? What is the common good?