Otherways- Fiction Fanatics

Nature is not a gentle soul. It has its moments, don't get me wrong, but overall nature is pretty darn vicious. Look at any wild or feral population, and you will see that it is nearly always at war of some sort. Competition for mates, food, and nesting sites is fierce, and occasionally fatal. You may also notice that the hostility of nature has produced in many species the desire to form groups. In some cases this instinct is so strong that it can actually be fatal in and of itself.

Our ever so distant ancestors took advantage of herd instinct when they drove bison or woolly mammoths off of cliffs in mass "hunts". The instinct to stay with the herd, especially when afraid, was so strong that entire family groups would die rather than leave the protection that the herd provides. These hunts not withstanding, the herd does provide protection in most situations. 

Being part of a large group makes it easier to avoid predators, after all, singling one wildebeest out of a herd of millions is a lot trickier than grabbing that weird loner by the water hole. Large herds also tend to mean greater opportunities to mate because there are simply more mates to choose from, and more distractions to allow lesser males the chance to snag a girl or two for themselves. The larger pack or herd you belong to, the larger range you can protect.

I'm not pointing all this out because people don't understand how nature works, I mention it because I think we forget that this is often how we work as well. Lone wolves, lions, wild horses or other wild group-living animals don't usually live long. We are biologically programmed to want to be part of a group, which, living in the crowds we do should have been rendered obsolete.

And yet, we often feel terribly alone.

We drive ourselves to "fit in", to be part of a readily identifiable group, and once "in" we proclaim our membership to the skies. Of course, we've evolved beyond peeing at the edges of our territory to warn others that this space belongs to us, and our kind. Now we proclaim the same mantra with bumper stickers, rabid political or religious posts, and sports team logos. Whatever metric we use to divide ourselves, the underlying belief is the same. Race, religion, income, political or sports affiliation, even weight and fandoms are things we use to create our "tribes". In some ways, this is not a bad thing. Finding people that share a similar sense of humor, or love for certain activities, enriches our lives. The problem lies in the underlying belief that we MUST be part of a tribe because there is not enough to go around, resources are limited, so we must fight against whoever isn't part of our chosen tribe.

If we hope someday to reach any higher level of civilization, then perhaps it is time to move beyond the feudal notion of the tribe. If resources are limited, then how can we increase those resources? If a person is not like us, then what can we learn from them? Failure to see the dangers of adhering too strongly to our own Tribe, is no different than an entire herd of buffalo stampeding themselves over a cliff to escape a minor brushfire, set by those that wanted them to behave exactly as they did. 

I do not believe that groups of any sort should be eradicated. They offer support, comfort, and a sense of belonging, all of which can be invaluable. I merely wish to point out that blind allegiance to any group, particularly when motivated by hate or fear, is inherently unhealthy. Mammoths were smart creatures, if their kin the elephants are any indication, and yet they are extinct, quite possibly in part due to mass hunting by our ancestors. Let us use the minds we were given to avoid falling into the same traps, ones that we ironically now lay for ourselves.

Cheers,

Michelle