On Tribalism

We speak of tribalism.

It is often emphasized as a defining feature of modern times, perhaps more so than in the past. We perceive a divisiveness today, amplified by nearly constant, total connection through social media.

As sources of communication increase, sources that once held relative exclusivity now compete with a million points of light, all with opinions. Those points dissolve into noise until each must become louder and more extreme to be noticed. Amplification follows. Jaw-dropping statements are made, and we rush to one side or another as our world becomes, at least to us, increasingly binary.

We call this tribalism.

But tribalism has always been. It is in our nature.

These self-defined, bordered arenas of truth and reality have always existed. Racial tribes. Family. Political affiliation. Actual tribes, going way back. The sexes. Football teams. The list is endless.

Look at two fighters in the arena.

The bell rings and the battle begins. Each round is a cordoned-off period where two warriors throw everything they have at each other. Knockout is the goal, or at least more points. The bout ends. A winner emerges. The opponent is sometimes decked out, sometimes simply diminished, as they stand side by side for the announcement.

But look closer.

In almost all cases, the fighters shake hands. If one has knocked out the other, or floored him, concern often follows. He checks his opponent’s condition. Sometimes this appears even during the fight, as when Muhammad Ali adjusted his approach with Ernie Terrell, or when Sugar Ray Leonard eased off a broken Roberto Durán. Other times it appears immediately after the damage is done, as in Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s concern for Victor Ortiz.

We see it in team sports.
We see it in the Olympics.

It is sportsmanship.

Why?

Because these people recognize that they belong to a larger tribe than the contest itself. They belong to the tribe of their sport.

And, more fundamentally, they belong to the tribe of man.

Recognizing a larger tribe does not erase injustice. It provides the only framework in which injustice can be addressed without replacing one tyranny with another.

And here lies the growing disconnect. Many people deteriorate in thought, action, and certainty until they can no longer see beyond the immediate tribe.

The borders of their tribe become the borders of their universe.

This is not a matter of intelligence.
It is a matter of awareness.

I have long considered that the most God-like human quality is pan-determinism, as opposed to self-determinism.

Pan-determinism is the ability to act for the good of a larger whole rather than from a single position within it. It is not moral relativism, nor is it authoritarian control. It is the refusal to reduce judgment to one narrow viewpoint.

It is displayed by the father who walks into a room where his two sons are fighting. He does not take sides immediately. He acts for the good of the larger tribe. He is pan-determined over his sons. The sons, meanwhile, are self-determined. Neither can see the other’s view, or even the other’s right to think or act.

Pan-determinism comes from experience. It is grounded in responsibility and knowledge. These allow a person to see more sides without losing sight of the larger whole.

This viewpoint can only arise from a broader understanding. It is informed by examined religious conviction, by an understanding of human nature, by an understanding of government and the tendency of some humans to dominate or seek unearned advantage.

And it requires recognition that there are some people, not many, who are genuinely suppressive and capable of harming societies and individuals alike.

Seeing a larger tribe does not require neutrality. It requires proportion.

As wisdom develops, knowledge tested and applied, pan-determinism increases. We begin to recognize that our tribe is large.

And the larger the tribe we perceive, the less totality we invest in our smaller games.

Games and tribes can be fun, but only when we remember that larger tribes are always at play.

Believe me, if we were attacked by a dominating, hostile alien force, even briefly, there would be near-instant recognition that all of us belong to the tribe of man.

And my guess is, it gets even bigger than that.