The Tribe Dillema

Knowingly or unknowingly, humans are always part of groups. We all have a tribe mentality. Apart from close family members or friends, if we feel upset at the sligtest narrative of some person in our community or group having any threat, we certainly are a part of that tribe.

Origins of the tribal mentality

Humans are social beings. We cannot survive on our own unless you are Matt Damon in the Martian or Interstellar. Pre-historic circumstances mandated the formation of clans to thrive in the wild. Fierce warriors became the saviour of the clan. The wisest member helped the group to batter adverse situations - famine, floods, wildires and pandemics. If members of the clan co-operated and worked together, better were their chances of survival.

Then came religions, castes, caste-subdivisions, peasants, elites, ethnic groups, kingdoms, allies, countries, states, regions and even down to local communities. Humans slowly blended into these groups

Humans are always inducted into tribal groups, not all of them volunteer to join. Once we proceed to adolocence, we will be excited about stories of people in our same clan getting achivements. Narratives about the beloved clan members suffering from threats will push the adolcent brain to act on behalf of them to achive greater good for the community. The tribe mentality kick starts.

Existential threat narrative

The narrative about the origin of tribal mentality gives clues about how existential threat shaped the formation of communities. Comparison with pre-history reveals that we are still cavemen. Innate human nature has not changed much. Humans feel threatened about their existence because they feel that the life or death situation that occured to a person will occur to them simply because they belong to the same group. This causes people to rise, speak out and act on behalf of them so that a eventuality can be avoided.

Call for action

Having said about the origin, growth and existential issue of tribes, I would like to propagate thoughts about how to escape this maze. Feeling alert about thy self is always good for our well being but, once a call for action arrives, we must rethink whether to act on it or remain inert. If the action contributes to a better tomorrow without hurting anyone, it is doable. Any purpose that is vauge in nature need not be atteneded.

Think before you act