Your tribal instincts are coursing through your bloodstream right now, in ways most people can’t comprehend. It’s affecting your behavior, the way you communicate and your emotions. The following story summarizes some of the information in my upcoming book, Game Changers.
We live in a pretty modern world, don’t we? I mean, just look at how connected our society has become. Go to a mall or hotel lobby sometime, park yourself on an elevated perch, and just watch – over 80 percent of folks in eyesight are there – but not there. Heads down, arms crossed, legs crossed, fingers moving furiously across their mobile devices … they are diminished physically in order to be connected virtually.
Yep, pretty modern indeed.
But, here’s the kicker: we are not as modern as we might think.
In fact, we’re pretty damn tribal. Man has walked this earth for hundreds of thousands of years as a hunter-gatherer. We’ve only had agriculture for about 10,000 years and the modern nation state for around 5,000 years.
As modern as we might think we are, tribal tendencies often dictate our behavior.
Back in the day, we grouped together because we didn’t have fangs or claws. Sabertooth tigers made us real cozy with each other. We made emotional connections and established relationships before transactions. We acted on how we felt … not what we thought; we had to, for survival. We told stories to move groups of people in directions we needed them to go. We traded or fought with other groups based on emotional connections and how we felt about them.
Those basic elements of clan society are still very strong today. In fact, the more we understand about the basic nature of clans, the more we can understand how to communicate more effectively in our own lives – especially when emotions get high and stuff gets real. That’s when our clan tendencies come to the surface.
Think about the last time you were PO’d at someone. You didn’t give a hoot about rational discussion, who was right or wrong, or logic until you felt that the other person “got you” and atoned for their wrong. That is an element of restorative justice that is still very prominent in our world that goes way, way back.
So here is your tip: learn more about clan society and you’ll learn real insights on how to be more effective with everyone around you … even the iPhone zombies in the lobby.
If you want to learn more, visit Stability Institute and get on the mailing list for my book “Game Changers” coming out in March 2015.