Two Tribes

If you think you see division in the world, you would be right. And the chasm is becoming larger. So large, in fact, the language used by either side is becoming unintelligible to the other and the echoes down the canyon walls becoming fainter.

I have a friend who believes there is a widening split in the psychological make-up of the planet. I agree. Long before we ever talked about the split I felt it looming in the distance. Every issue is becoming an antagonistic issue. If you think this is a Right/Left issue, think again. Both Left and Right can be as alienating and hostile as the other. If one looks closely enough, there is little difference in either modus operendi.

They are part and parcel of the same tribe.

One needn't look far for evidence.

Look at election campaigns here in Canada and in the States. The antagonistic division has become so wide I, personally, have difficulty relating completely with either Left or Right.

Look at gun issues which, for some idiotic reason, Canadians have taken up as their own, even though it's a U.S. problem. We, in Canada, are one of the top ten safest nations in the world (seventh). The U.S. Is ninety-fourth safest. We want to emulate them? Should be the other way around.

Look at immigration. We are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Remember not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Look at the environment. The next hundred years are going to be... interesting... since we haven't felt the full effect of Global Warming. Think there's no Global Warming? Good. I have some beach property you might like.

Look at the gap between the wealthy and the poor. You think that's a healthy society? Really?

What you generally see in mass media and on the internet with regard to the above issues (and many, many others) is one tribe.

There are three tribes forming in the world; the Antagonists, the Evaluators and the Uninterested (who aren't really a tribe at all). And this isn't simply an economic thing, though economies of scale are affected. This is a psychological thing. It's a state of mind.

It all comes down to beliefs.

The Antagonists are easy to pick out. They battle over everything. There is not one issue they don't believe they not an expert about or at least deserves their opinion. Not one. And, Antagonists can be found on both the Right, the Left or the Centre of any issue. Despite opposing views, they are wrapped in the same ball of yarn. It's their way or the highway. They have a rear-view point of view. they tend to draw on history as their guide for the future. 

Antagonists tend to be exclusive and believe everyone is separate.

The Evaluators are the opposite side of the coin. They will stand up for what they believe all while accepting other people have a differing opinion. They tend to be more accepting of other points of view and cherish the right for each persons freedom of thought and expression. They know what they want the world to look like and they lead by example, not by force. They have a forward thinking point of view and they pick their battles. They believe history does not have to dictate the future. 

Evaluators tend to be inclusive and believe we are all one.

Between these two tribes is where the chasm lies. This is the split the world is seeing.

The Uninterested are those who amble through life with blinders on believing:

a) there's nothing they can do about it so why try,

b) if they think only "good" thoughts and play by the "rules" then their world will be okay (good people get hit by disease, cars, bullets and tornadoes... just saying)

c) if they ignore it or hide from from it, it will go away, or

d) they'll wait to see which side is winning then lean that way.

It's not difficult to decipher who resides in which tribe. How we do one thing is how we do everything. All one need do is follow the actions of folks and it will become pretty apparent where they stand. Social Media is a wonderful tool for such comparison. It's pretty easy to discern who is in which tribe simply by seeing what is posted or what they do or don't click “like” on.

Division has always existed. It's not something new. There have always been differing opinions about issues and there always will be so long as there are at least two humans occupying the planet. There have been and always will be differing views regarding life and how to handle issues as they arise. What has changed is the vision for the future. In that vision, the two sides are diametrically opposed. One group is inclined to set the rules while the other searches for common ground.

The Uninterested wait for someone else to make the decisions for them. The Uninterested are not a tribe simply because they lack clear direction.

The two tribes then, are the Antagonists and the Evaluators... and the gap between the Antagonist tribe and the Evaluator tribe is growing larger. I don't see that trend changing any time soon. The internal language of the two are diametrically opposed and largely incomprehensible to the other.

What does this mean in the grand schema? Not much really. It's only humanity and the planet which hang in the balance.

No big deal.