Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

"A society that doesn't offer its members the chance to act selflessly... isn't a society in any tribal sense of the word; it's just a political entity that, lacking enemies, will probably fall apart on its own."In our modern world when someone uses the word "tribal" it's typically used as a derogatory term accusing individuals or small groups of people of only thinking about themselves and refusing to be a part of the grander society as a whole. Sebastian Junger reminds us however, that being "tribal" may not only be a good thing but could be what helps us survive the modern era.Is it healthy that we are becoming a more individualistic society? Today a person could go an entire day, week or even years mostly encountering complete strangers. This is a far cry from what it used to mean to be human, and because of this, there comes with it a deeply disturbing cost. As we lose our need for others, we also lose what keeps us alive in battle, what gives our sacrifices meaning, and what gives us our morality -- group pressure and community.Today we live in a post-Emersonian, Nietzschean, cowboy society where the individual has come out on top. We love the man who can be his own individual, and stand up to the crowd -- but that doesn't mean we don't need the crowd, that we don't need to relate with one another. In fact one could argue, and Sabastian does, that we need now community more than ever. Our tribal past is calling to us and if we ignore it we ignore it at our own peril.As Sebastian says: "We are not good to each other. Our tribalism is to an extremely narrow group of people: our children, our spouse, maybe our parents. Our society is alienating, technical, cold, and mystifying. Our fundamental desire, as human beings, is to be close to others, and our society does not allow for that."But for Sebastian it's more than just rudeness, higher rates of depression, rising suicide rates, etc. It's also about what happens when we find ourselves in a society where we can take advantage of each other with no visible cost. When a group of people can cost American society several trillion dollars in losses -- roughly one-quarter of that years GDP - and not be tried for high crimes? When you can carelessly throw trash on the ground because you don't feel connected enough to the group around you, to the shared ethos of protecting something valuable?These might seem like minor things, and we may be glad we live in a society that can withstand these kinds of blows... but blows they are. They are blows against our relatedness, our sense of sacrifice, and what we need to really survive and thrive -- to be human.I could go on, but you should really just read the book yourself. It's a fantastic reminder of not only the importance of community but that it's a biologically fundamental need that we cannot ignore. "Belonging to a society requires sacrifice, and that sacrifice gives back way more than it costs. That sense of solidarity is at the core of what it means to be human and undoubtedly helped deliver us to this extraordinary moment in our history. It may also be the only thing that allows us to survive it."

This was suggested reading at the 2021 Annual APA Division 19 Society for Military Psychology that I attended. I am so glad I read this. While in grad school studying military psychology, I wrote my capstone entitled “How Does Native American Warrior Culture and Traditions Help Returning Combat Trauma Veterans Successfully Reintegrate into Civilian Society”. I wish I could have used this book as reference material as it backs up a lot of what I wrote about. Shared grief/trauma is easier to handle as a group or community or tribe. Junger is spot on about the strict rules for peacetime and wartime; the ceremonies to cleanse the warrior of war back into peace; the sense of community that is given to the warrior when returning from that they are still needed in the community and are contributing members of that community. These things help heal the traumatized warrior. Warriors need a purpose outside of war. We need to give them their purpose in society back. Thanking them for their service is not enough.Please note I am of Seneca ancestry. People may consider me biased, but I do not believe I am. I am not a tribal member due to matrilineal tribal laws and that is ok for I respect Seneca tribal laws.

This was recommended to me by a brother-in-arms during a discussion about the transition from combat to civilian life and the challenges and obstacles it presents. It was not at all what I had expected. Junger's  WAR  did a solid job of showing the depth of commitment between soldiers in combat, and I had anticipated more of the same here. While this is part of the book, Junger seeks to take a more holistic look at why, when things are grim, people do what they do: why do people sacrifice and behave altruistically in times of crisis? He makes a stab at an answer, but in the end, the conclusions are unsatisfying.Essentially, Junger argues, people are missing a sense of belonging, of being an important part of a larger whole, of feeling important to their community - their tribe. I get this; this sense of belonging and trust and altruism is among the things I miss the most from my time in the military (and combat.) Junger provides a lot of evidence to support this from primatology to early American history to the struggles and issues returning warriors experience today.There is much that Junger writes about that I agree with: that in spite of the modern conveniences and comforts we have, the modern wold also alienates us from one another. That the contempt we have for other Americans who politically disagree with us is toxic; that the conservative outrage at social service cheats is absolutely right - but so is the liberal inclination to provide social services to the needy. That the platitudes of "thank you for your service", yellow ribbons and military discounts are hollow in a society that does nothing to share, recognize or even authentically hear the voices of veterans.Yet I can't help but feel Junger missed an opportunity. He does a remarkable job of describing the problem, of quantifying it, even of showing what works in terms of "belonging" in other parts of the world - but he is not detailed enough nor forceful enough to propose a solution for Americans here and now. He alludes to what is necessary: a sense of solidarity that transcends wealth, social class, race and gender -but does little to point the way to how that can be created in a modern, industrialized society. Perhaps it can't be. But I suspect it could be.

I read this book twice. And I was sad the first time around when I reached the end. It could point in an optimistic direction for anyone closely affected by PTSD/trauma. The author’s perspective is valuable from his war journalist career: he witnessed many things first hand. Excellent read. Just a bit short.

A very well written book with a ton of interesting comparative facts to substantiate the points.

I was intrigued by his take on what makes humans happy e.g. One can peacefully sleep in a group of 30 people in war zone vs a very disturbed sleep for a solo hiker in a serene forest. Loved this example and there are many point he made which are quite deep.

Livre très interressant que j'ai beaucoup apprécié. Livraison efficace. Explications très succintes des propos de cet auteur très connu dans son domaine.

Why are suicide rates in western societies so high? Why do soldiers miss the war, even though it was a terrible experience? How are we organized, how do we take care of each other - and why do so many people in our society fall through the cracks?This book raises these questions, analizes them and offers new views. What this book thankfully does not do: It does not offer an easy solution - because there probably isn't one.After reading trough this book in a day and a half I understood more about my society, about my own behavior and about the human race as a whole. The book itself is - as usual with Sebastian Junger - very well written, very easy to digest while at the same time not being superficial. It is a must read for everyone who is interested in society, in the human kind, in conflict and in how one works.