Tribalism and the Allure of Victory

In this new world of constant sensory input and instant gratification from social media our society has fragmented to a degree not seen before. Especially evident in the past few years, our political and social discourse has degraded to a point where neither side is able or willing to see the other's point of view. The current course of western society can best be described as a descent into tribalism. By tribalism I mean that everyone is grouping up into "teams", or groups of likeminded individuals who share an ideology. These ideologies have consistently been ramping up their discourse and become more aggressive, more hostile, and more unwilling to try and find common ground. As we discussed in the great conversation we had as a class on Thursday, this tribalistic mindset is not only degrading our social structures, but it is slowing our progression towards creating positive change and harmony of the kind we'd like to see in the world.

I believe tribalism is closely related to identity politics, which has made a significant rise in the political ecology of our country in recent years. I know many individuals within the struggle of marginalized people believe that identity politics is a very important aspect in creating meaningful social change. However I would put forward the notion that by creating groups of distinct people with distinct identities we are only fracturing our communities and creating more separation between groups who might disagree with each other. I believe this to be the wrong direction to go in, and that much more positive change would be created by actively trying to find common ground and shared values between communities that might identify differently. We are all human beings, and we all are a part of the United States, which despite its obvious and many flaws is still a pretty amazing country that we are all very lucky to live in.

The idea of Joyful Militancy is one we could all examine more, and really think about what it means to us individually. To me, it means to take joy in the struggle, to be happy with the process, and not the result, to see that by each day of 'resisting', or struggling against something that we believe to be wrong is where joy comes from. Like we discussed on the very first day of class, it is very doubtful that there will ever be a day of ultimate victory. Like the Hydra, there is always going to be another head to slice off, another battle to fight, another injustice to face. If we are never content in the process, and instead are constantly searching for that final penultimate victory, than we shall always be defeated, we shall always be downtrodden, and we shall live our lives in meaningless depression that takes us nowhere but down. So look around, be grateful for the sunshine and the freedom we have. Be grateful for your friends and families. Be grateful in the process and be grateful in the struggle. Because that is where we find meaning, and meaning is where we find real joy.