We are a tribe and clan people.
All of us.
We identify ourselves by race, country, and religion but we are clan people.
All of us identify and are at our best when we are not alone but are surrounded by like minded people. Because there is strength in numbers. There is a great power in togetherness.
I am not a historian or an archeologist. The mysteries of human development and evolution are beyond my area of study. I will be honest in admitting that I struggle to piece together or make sense of where we have come from and why we are the way we are. But I strive to figure out why we were born, why we have to die, and most importantly what we are here to do.
I may not be a historian or an archeologist, but I think being human qualifies me and gives me permission to ask some of the questions.
I think human happiness lies in our strength and possibility of being united with others in some kind of purpose. I believe we are social creatures. We were never meant to be alone. If you take a moment to think about sadness and depression, it is never a communal thing. It is an individual thing and I think when we become disconnected from other people, when we are shut in all alone, when we refuse, are unwilling, or are forced to be apart from a clan or tribe, we become lost and suffer immeasurably.
Before there was any semblance of civilization, great or otherwise, we identified ourselves and lived our lives in tribes and clans. We belong to a much smaller family. We hunted together. Gathered together. Cried and laughed together. We really knew and irritated each other. We hoped for a better and safer future together. We were a clan and being together made all the difference.
But nothing ever stays the same. At some point in time tribes grew bigger and required a more complex structure and organization. What could be solved in a circle, now demanded commandments, oaths, and grew into a complex legal system, that continuously evolves and devours itself.
We began to trade our knowledge with other tribes. It took some time, but we began to dominate and exercise our dominion over the earth. We also began to dominate each other.
Not much has changed.
I find myself sitting here, in this quiet coffee house, enjoying a cup of coffee and writing these words so I can share them. Share them with you. Share them with my clan.
If you are reading this we have become united as a tribe. I am not sure how we came together but I know that we are very much connected and we belong to hundreds and hundreds of little tribes.
I am committed to writing these words because I don’t want our connection to come to an end. I want you to discover what is hiding deep inside my mind and I also wish to know yours better as well.
I am eternally grateful to all the many clans I belong to and the magical time I was born in. I am grateful to the tribes I lead and clan that lead me. I am so very grateful for our humanity. Our ability to connect. to work for a common purpose. For our ability choose to be linked with one another.
The internet is more than a library of porn and muffin recipes.
The internet exalts the lowly, and humbles the mighty.
Or at least it can, off we leave Bambi in Dallas, and resist our baking needs.
There is no reason to be alone anymore. You don’t need a hell of a lot to start a tribe or join one that understands who you are. You have an ability like none of the other waves of people before us to connect in a real way with anyone and everyone, in anything your mind can dream up.
But I would caution you about casting wide. It is futile and dangerous to skim the surface. You won’t get what you’re after if your social interaction on the world wide web turns into a popularity contest or meaningless attention seeking.
Living in the modern world and being part of a modern clan demands going deep. It demands work, persistence, and openness. It means being vulnerable and sharing that vulnerably with others.
Strangers.
Strangers that quickly turn from someone who is unfamiliar to us, to someone that becomes familiar, to a friend, and finally to someone we would miss if they were gone.
Never complain about when or why you were born.
Discover where you are and what you have to offer.
Support the clans you’re in.
Seek and join new clans that are in need of you.
Start a clan. It’s never been easier.
But do go deep because you’ll lose your humanity going wide.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Monika Grabkowska via unsplash.com
