Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding--"tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.
Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.
Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.
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Community Reviews
I'd give it two and a half stars. I found myself feeling like a lot of this was his opinion or his observations but not wide truths. I do believe belonging is vital and that we are designed to be in community with each other. Good examples left me feeling flat for some reason. Good quick read but not my jam.
Well-written, but no particularly new or cogent insights here for me. Maybe because I dwell on these topics a lot.
If notions of tribe aren't something you've considered a lot, worth checking out.
If notions of tribe aren't something you've considered a lot, worth checking out.
What to make of this book?
Author argues that humans evolved to live in tribes. What's it like to live in a tribe?
1) Equitable. Tribes punish people for not sharing.
2) Communal. Tribes tend to be in close physical proximity at all times, from cradle (kids universally slept with parents) to grave (elders continued to live at home) and at all times in between.
3) Relatable. Tribes tend to share experiences, including hunts and war. The people in your tribe understand your experiences and vice versa.
So why live like that? Well, the author argues that the social bonds that form in such a society and the mindsets adopted within it lead to human flourishing and happiness.
What about modern society? Well, it's different than that. The author picks on a few dimensions:
1) Inequality. Moderns view winners as justified in taking more than others.
2) Individual. Moderns spend most of their time alone from cradle (kids now sleep alone) to grave (elders are off in a retirement home)
3) Unrelatable. Moderns all have their own unique experiences and struggle to relate to one another. The author likes to talk about war and makes a long argument that persistent PTSD comes more from our inability to relate to and integrate combat warriors than from the experiences of those warriors.
He bounds all this up in a sort of heroic concept of the individual that can no longer exist, explaining that: “modern life requires no sacrifice and thus provides no opportunity to prove oneself.”
And then he sets off to discover the value of tribes in some unconventional settings, pointing out that stressful situations tends to unify and unite people, paying particular attention to american indians (his wording), communities in disaster, and London during the blitz. Ah the times were tough, but the equality, community, and relatability were unmatched. It's an interesting observation.
He then gets to the part of the book where he starts generalizing wildly. He assigns risk seeking behavior to men, moral strength to women. He wanders through the above mentioned discussion of PTSD and social relations. He distills our modern political ills to the interplay of two ancient sentiments (caring and punishing shirkers), argues that both are correct, and urges us to have not contempt for the other side but mutual understanding.
And this last part is how he sort of talks himself out of a fourth star. One gets the sense he is extrapolating a bit beyond the data. I believe at one point he made the argument it was virtually impossible for a woman to lead in an ambiguous if a man was around, but that if all the men were gone a woman would immediately assume the role. Claims that big require nuance and he does not provide it. And he makes a lot of claims like that, even before he gets to politics which it would be generous to call a radical oversimplification.
Three stars. A provocative reminder that groups are central to human experience AND that those groups are so central BECAUSE they work differently than modern homo economicus can fathom.
Author argues that humans evolved to live in tribes. What's it like to live in a tribe?
1) Equitable. Tribes punish people for not sharing.
2) Communal. Tribes tend to be in close physical proximity at all times, from cradle (kids universally slept with parents) to grave (elders continued to live at home) and at all times in between.
3) Relatable. Tribes tend to share experiences, including hunts and war. The people in your tribe understand your experiences and vice versa.
So why live like that? Well, the author argues that the social bonds that form in such a society and the mindsets adopted within it lead to human flourishing and happiness.
What about modern society? Well, it's different than that. The author picks on a few dimensions:
1) Inequality. Moderns view winners as justified in taking more than others.
2) Individual. Moderns spend most of their time alone from cradle (kids now sleep alone) to grave (elders are off in a retirement home)
3) Unrelatable. Moderns all have their own unique experiences and struggle to relate to one another. The author likes to talk about war and makes a long argument that persistent PTSD comes more from our inability to relate to and integrate combat warriors than from the experiences of those warriors.
He bounds all this up in a sort of heroic concept of the individual that can no longer exist, explaining that: “modern life requires no sacrifice and thus provides no opportunity to prove oneself.”
And then he sets off to discover the value of tribes in some unconventional settings, pointing out that stressful situations tends to unify and unite people, paying particular attention to american indians (his wording), communities in disaster, and London during the blitz. Ah the times were tough, but the equality, community, and relatability were unmatched. It's an interesting observation.
He then gets to the part of the book where he starts generalizing wildly. He assigns risk seeking behavior to men, moral strength to women. He wanders through the above mentioned discussion of PTSD and social relations. He distills our modern political ills to the interplay of two ancient sentiments (caring and punishing shirkers), argues that both are correct, and urges us to have not contempt for the other side but mutual understanding.
And this last part is how he sort of talks himself out of a fourth star. One gets the sense he is extrapolating a bit beyond the data. I believe at one point he made the argument it was virtually impossible for a woman to lead in an ambiguous if a man was around, but that if all the men were gone a woman would immediately assume the role. Claims that big require nuance and he does not provide it. And he makes a lot of claims like that, even before he gets to politics which it would be generous to call a radical oversimplification.
Three stars. A provocative reminder that groups are central to human experience AND that those groups are so central BECAUSE they work differently than modern homo economicus can fathom.
Our Reviews: Kelsey - 7.00, Matt - 6.90, Abe - 6.90, Madi - 7.00, Trent - 7.65, Meaghan - 7.20, Tj - 7.00, Dante - 6.90. Club average score = 7.06
This was a pretty good IRL book club book. It brought a lot of people to the club and cause A LOT of good discussion.
Junger outlines essentially why we need our tribes. You can't go through this world alone, no matter what you think, and the way America is set up now, we no longer have community. I'll be the first to admit that after 18 years of living in my neighborhood, I only have talked to 3 neighbors. That's insanity when you think about it.
We delve into the past, where white people ran away to the Indian tribes (but never vice versa) and we move into soldiers returning from war who say that war time is their best time. They have brotherhood, mission, and their tribe. Peace time, home time, doesn't give them that. They get a "Thank you for your service" and people move on. Let's not even talk about how few people even realize there's still a war going on and soldiers are still fighting and dying in Afghanistan.
One of the most interesting facts regarded school shootings. There are no incidences of mass shootings in schools in urban ghetto areas. Only in white, affluent, "safe" areas. This is proof that tribes mean something. The suburban sprawl has caused kids to be more alone than ever and they lash out. Poverty, however terrible it is (and it is), creates the tribe feeling for urban kids.
Tribe is defined basically as would you lay down your life for your community? I don't mean your neighbors...I mean, your tribe. Your people. After reading this book, I thought hard about who is in my tribe, who I would die for (hopefully it won't come to that). Who is my tribe?
Junger outlines essentially why we need our tribes. You can't go through this world alone, no matter what you think, and the way America is set up now, we no longer have community. I'll be the first to admit that after 18 years of living in my neighborhood, I only have talked to 3 neighbors. That's insanity when you think about it.
We delve into the past, where white people ran away to the Indian tribes (but never vice versa) and we move into soldiers returning from war who say that war time is their best time. They have brotherhood, mission, and their tribe. Peace time, home time, doesn't give them that. They get a "Thank you for your service" and people move on. Let's not even talk about how few people even realize there's still a war going on and soldiers are still fighting and dying in Afghanistan.
One of the most interesting facts regarded school shootings. There are no incidences of mass shootings in schools in urban ghetto areas. Only in white, affluent, "safe" areas. This is proof that tribes mean something. The suburban sprawl has caused kids to be more alone than ever and they lash out. Poverty, however terrible it is (and it is), creates the tribe feeling for urban kids.
Tribe is defined basically as would you lay down your life for your community? I don't mean your neighbors...I mean, your tribe. Your people. After reading this book, I thought hard about who is in my tribe, who I would die for (hopefully it won't come to that). Who is my tribe?
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