The Citizen vs. The Tribesman

This video is part of a short series by author Steven Pressfield. He has written several books I would recommend to anyone, Gates of Fire among them. I submit this video to spark some thought on socio-cultural relations - not only on a global and regional scale, but in our own lives. As predominantly westerners, predominantly citizens, what tribal aspects do we have in our lives that help or hinder us? How can we leverage the positives in both paradigms to achieve harmony within ourselves, with others, and with the Force?





I would love to hear your thoughts.

i think citizens are constantly seeking the tribal kinship experience in all sorts of things

but also in my culture i feel like personal greed and selfishness has managed to corrupt or cheapen or at least manipulate every tribe one might identify with

i have the sense that being part of a tribe is at the heart of say sports team fanatism and religious fanaticism

i think anyone who doesnt feel kinship with other people in a direct and meaningful way will always be on the lookout, if only unconsciously, for a place to fit in

i dont see it as a choice between the two, but rather a challenge of how do we evolve the tribe into an organization that is capable of rapid adaptation, and that allows for as equal as possible a measure of both individual autonomy and collective unity?
and to do it in such a way as to strenghten and enrich both the individual and the collective?

EDIT

wanted to be sure to express that there are still some good tribes around

Reacher wrote: As predominantly westerners, predominantly citizens, what tribal aspects do we have in our lives that help or hinder us?

How can we leverage the positives in both paradigms to achieve harmony within ourselves, with others, and with the Force?

about leveraging the positives of both paradigms; i think its important for us all to be able to view one another as valuable - even when it doesnt appear so - as fonts of experience and perspective which, even when we disagree, still offer insight into our own experience

i also think its important to ask oneself "what ideals do i promote with my actions and treatment of others, and what underlying motives do i promote with the ideas that i express?"

"what sort of an influence am i?"

this translates as proggressively habbituating oneself to staying as much as possible in touch with the best of oneself

and offering that

and also in looking for the most meaningful way to understand those around us and learning from that -to emulate where appropriate, and otherwise simply to understand with as close to an "insider perspective" as possible

Reacher wrote: ...author Steven Pressfield. He has written several books I would recommend to anyone, Gates of Fire among them.

That is a fantastic book. Highly recomended. Although, if you enjoyed the movie 300, reading that book might ruin it for you because that book is basically the same thing only a million times better. :laugh: