Tribes as Part of the Future
Originally published at Lane Ellen. You can comment here or there.
President Barack Obama made this statement in his inaugural address (emphasis mine):
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
I understand what he’s saying - he’s making a reference to ethnic diversity as being accepted, welcomed. He’s saying, “We’re all human beings, let’s let racism go.” I get that, and I agree.
But it made me think about tribes, and how if American’s really did think in terms of Tribe, we might be even better off.
Let me ’splain.
Tribe is about similarities and differences.
The definition of Tribe is about similarities. Websters offers, “a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest.” The ideal here is that it creates a community. A community of perfectionists. A community of financial representatives. A community of bird-watching enthusiasts. A community of bellydancers.
However, I think the idea of Tribe has too often been used only to denote differences among groups. You come from there, I come from here. You have this color skin, culture and traditions, I have these. We use these differences for purposes of both celebration and separation. To distinguish ourselves from others, but also to segregate ourselves. You are from this tribe - you cannot be also a part of mine…
…which is where the error occurs.
We need to remember that Tribe is really about similarities - the things we share in common. The joys, the perils and the dreams of the human race. Like a massive Venn diagram, by looking at what we share, we become closer to each other. The attributes we share also highlight the differences in a positive way for growth and learning.
The similarities allow us to look at each others’ differences in ways that are more accepting. When we connect through the similarities, we are more able to learn from the differences.
Tribe is about coming together rather than setting apart.
Following on the differences/similarities discussion, I’d like to address community. Most people believe that differences set us apart from others - but they don’t have to. Differences make a group stronger. A team with people with the same proficiencies and deficiencies will find themselves lacking in areas, and less likely to accomplish a task as completely as possible. But mix up the groups and include people with different skills, and you have a much better chance of growth and success, as well as meeting everyone’s need to feel their specialties matter.
This is the essence of Tribe: using the similar factor to bring us together (perhaps it is a goal, an occupation), we are able to utilize the strengths of each person individually to reach that goal. On a very corporate level, this is like getting the right people for the different jobs in the company. Because each company is a tribe as well.
Our whole existence is about Tribes. We constantly label each other based on appearance and behavior, what each person is into, and more. We create groupings that might be deemed Tribe if there was openness and sharing. We give ourselves these labels: foodies, gamers, hipsters, GenX/Y/Z, Capricorns. Another word used might be “culture”, such as “geek culture”. We’ll subscribe to the “things” of Tribe, but too often won’t connect with the rest of the Tribe. It becomes about being the BEST in the Tribe.
Tribe is about a collective experience rather than comparison.
It’s almost as if being part of the group is anathema. In America, perhaps that stems from our break-off independent attitude. We’d rather be the black sheep than a white sheep, and frankly, being a “sheep” at all is a bad thing (thus the snarky label of “sheeple”.) Even if we subscribe to a Tribe, we are often focused on being the most loved, the most important, the most…whatever…within that Tribe. We will sign onto a Tribe, and immediately start comparing ourselves to its members - judging where we fit in, what the pecking order is.
It’s about the competition.
It’s not entirely the person’s fault - our culture really supports the idea of climbing a ladder in every possible situation. But that isn’t what Tribe is about. Tribe is about the experience of the whole. And not at the sacrifice of the person - but in support of each person’s individuality. When we support each person’s striving for personal success or achievement, we each win.
Perhaps this sounds utopian, or like some artist’s commune, but I have seen it work. And the results are astoundingly awesome. When each person seeks their own happiness within the framework of the happiness of the Tribe, both sides benefit. When we stop trying to undermine each other, prove ourselves better than the person next to us, we might find that the hurdles we perceived along our journey melt away.
Perhaps I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
Tribe is about sharing rather than secrets.
The way to move into the collective experience and out of the competition? Sharing.
The amount of law around intellectual property and copyright itself should be a consideration of how our culture doesn’t believe in sharing. Because sharing your idea in a way that may not be directly attributable (and payable) to you doesn’t benefit you in this current culture structure. We are materialistic (that isn’t automatically a bad thing, btw) and feel we own not only our stuff, but our thoughts and emotions. And if there is any success to come of that, we want to be the recipient of it!
But sharing can bring success even greater than competitive success. It benefits us, it benefits the Tribe, and it connects us more with other people - effectively widening our Tribe. Not to mention the personal emotional benefits of sharing.
When you’ve brought together a bunch of people with a common trait, or for a common purpose, you’ve brought all their strengths, weaknesses, hopes and concerns with them. You’ve also brought in all their collective knowledge, taboos, and experiences. These are all opportunities for learning and growth that, if shared, can benefit everyone within the Tribe.
Unfortunately, these benefits are currently outweighed by the benefits of competitive success. Some might say that we can’t move to sharing until we stop comparing. But I disagree. I think we can move ourselves from competition through sharing.
Take Radiohead. They opened up a whole different vein of the music business through offering their music for free. As bands and companies tried harder and harder to hold onto rights for music, Radiohead took the leap. There’s been a lot of discussion about selling out, bait-and-switch, but in reality, Radiohead’s actions opened up the idea to other bands. From that one decision, others thought, “Hey - perhaps we’ll share too.”
It’s difficult. Because we are a competitive culture, something for free feels like a way to get ahead of others. We still are unlikely to give money to support that sort of sharing. We are not likely to recognize those who have come before us, to recognize the tribes from which we have gained so much learning. We prefer to hold the recognition for ourselves, in order to separate ourselves from our Tribes as more desirable. Perhaps it is part of natural selection and built into our genes…
…But perhaps not. The Obama presidential campaign shows us that if there is something that we really want, we may put our money behind it even if there is no promise of return. We can support an ideal, a feeling, recognize ourselves as a Tribe working together for a common purpose. The Obama campaign was the most sharing, open communication experience that has happened in decades, perhaps longer.
So when Obama says, “the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve,” I know he’s talking about race issues and our separatist, competitive beliefs about Tribe. Because it is partially his campaign that shows highlights of a better way to view Tribe - as a community experience that brings us together, our strengths, our flaws, our hopes and fears to achieve something great.
And by bringing us all together, perhaps we can find a way to connect ourselves to a more Tribe-centric way of viewing the world, and use that in making decisions that are good for everyone involved.