It seems to me that we need to somehow overcome our own insecurity if we are to avoid this tendency toward tribalism. Implicit in the tendency toward tribalism is the thinking that "well, I personally am inadequate, but at least I am a member in good standing of a tribe which is good, or at least better than the enemy tribe".
Not saying that we can ever eradicate personal insecurity, but if we can mitigate that problem by means of better parenting, education, mindfulness and what have you, we may see the damage done by tribalism abate.
The Heffernan story illustrates another weakness we're all prone to (or perhaps it's the same weakness you describe from a different view): turning a simple act that could be reacted to in a simple way ("Thanks!") into a mind-twisting frenzy of agonizing which apparently went on for hours, if not days, in her brain. When this tendency gains sway, nothing is simple; everything must be categorized and analyzed down to a gnat's eyelash. It's possible to build gigantic mental castles of such thoughts, the disruption of any tiny portion of which is regarded as a near-mortal threat. Taken to an extreme, literally everyone else becomes an enemy, because everyone disagrees with me about SOMETHING. As Zorba in Zorba the Greek puts it: "You think too much, that is your trouble. Clever people and grocers, they weigh everything."
Being clever is not a bad thing, of course, but it's susceptible to extreme misuse which can lead to an isolated and unhappy life.
It seems to me that we need to somehow overcome our own insecurity if we are to avoid this tendency toward tribalism. Implicit in the tendency toward tribalism is the thinking that "well, I personally am inadequate, but at least I am a member in good standing of a tribe which is good, or at least better than the enemy tribe".
Not saying that we can ever eradicate personal insecurity, but if we can mitigate that problem by means of better parenting, education, mindfulness and what have you, we may see the damage done by tribalism abate.
The Heffernan story illustrates another weakness we're all prone to (or perhaps it's the same weakness you describe from a different view): turning a simple act that could be reacted to in a simple way ("Thanks!") into a mind-twisting frenzy of agonizing which apparently went on for hours, if not days, in her brain. When this tendency gains sway, nothing is simple; everything must be categorized and analyzed down to a gnat's eyelash. It's possible to build gigantic mental castles of such thoughts, the disruption of any tiny portion of which is regarded as a near-mortal threat. Taken to an extreme, literally everyone else becomes an enemy, because everyone disagrees with me about SOMETHING. As Zorba in Zorba the Greek puts it: "You think too much, that is your trouble. Clever people and grocers, they weigh everything."
Being clever is not a bad thing, of course, but it's susceptible to extreme misuse which can lead to an isolated and unhappy life.
Hi Barry,
Might you have an essay on the trilateral commission, technocracy and how it is playing out today?