“Totally isolated from our own culture for long
periods, we became vulnerable to forgotten times
and tribes re-awakening within us."
- Lawrence Blair, Ring of Fire: An Indonesia Odyssey
From Elliot Hulse:
"There are those amongst us, who believe you and I
are cursed
Not in the traditional sense of the word, but in a far less
obvious way
It wasn’t too long ago we lived in bands of 10-50
mostly close family members, all working together to
hunt and forage for food, shelter a few other limited resources
Now, thanks to modern advances in farming, technology and
medicine we have the opportunity to live relatively healthy,
wealthy and abundant lives...
... without having to rely on a familial band to survive.
Think about it, how many people do you know who see or let
alone talk to their cousins more than once or twice a year?
Outside of family gatherings, a birth or death in the family
They might as well be complete strangers
We live in a fragmented society
And here's the thing, humans are social by nature and when
we are cut off from our tribes, the pain of isolation becomes
unbearable
In fact in ancient times if you were banished from the tribe,
it meant you were royally fucked.
Being ostracized back then meant scouring for resources by
yourself, which was a death sentence.
And though, I’d argue the pain of being rejected by friends and family
still causes the same psychological and emotional trauma it did back then
Nowadays you can at least hop on social media and get a hit of instant
validation when you're feeling like dog shit
But that false engagement is akin to jerking off...
It feels good for a moment, but ultimately leaves you feeling empty and wishing
for much, much more...
Truth is the instant validation and spike in feel good hormones you get from
someone liking your post doesn’t fulfill that deeper desire we all yearn for:
because you aren't built that way
Back in the day, your tribe filled you with a sense of purpose..."
