Tribal individuals

Seeking similarities
Have you ever have this happen to you…you are telling your story to someone, say the story of your recent travels, and that someone says: “I have been there too” and before you know it, you are looking at their slide show and listen to their story of their travel. They are not in the least bit interested in how your story differs from theirs and they are happy finding confabulated similarities. ”Thank goodness we are the same, now I can relax, stay blind for your point of view, stay deaf for your side of things and not feel for you. You are erased by someone imagining similarity.

Defining differences
“Not the same, definitely not the same.” That can be a very comforting thought. You see a cat scratching the furniture at a friend’s house and think mine never does that, mine is different. You hear of kids bullying other kids and you think: “Not my kinds, mine are different”. You know of someone’s fortune or misfortune and you know that theirs is a very different path. The difference you find can make you jealous or have you sigh in relieve: “Thank goodness that’s not me.” For better or for worse you set yourself apart from the rest, after all you are an individual.

So we spent as much energy in finding our differences as we do finding our similarities. Why? As a way to figure out who we are one with and who to cast out?

The same difference
What does that mean we are one, does it mean we are all the same? Or does it mean we are all part of the same organism, the same universe? I belief the last statement to be true, for me this means that looking for differences and similarities is futile, a waste of precious time.

A silly conversation between my foot and my hand popped into my head.

INT. MY HEAD - DAY

HAND
Well now, don’t you look funny

with your stubby little fingers.

FOOT

Me? Look at yourself,

your toes are way to long.

HAND

What happened to your thumb?
It’s in the wrong place.

FOOT

No it’s not. It’s exactly where it

should be, and by the way it’s

called a big toe.

HAND

You can call it anything you like,

but that won’t help you hold
a pen to write your ABC.

FOOT

I don’t need a pen to walk from A to B.

HAND

You are a strange creature.

FOOT

Well, so are you.

Foot tapping. Hand crosses its fingers.

HAND

Are you made from bone and skin?

FOOT

Of course I am, and I’ve

got some nails too.

HAND

He, me too, lets shake hands.

FOOT

Sorry, I can’t. I can put my foot down though.

HAND

Mmm, I must be the more

Peace loving one then?

FOOT

Jezz, now you’ve really put you foot in it….

Awkward pauze.

HAND

Lets just agree to disagree.

FOOT

Lets agree we have similar differences.

FADE TO GRAY

Well, you get the picture, these two can argue and debate their similarities and differences for as long as they like, completely oblivious to the fact that they are part of the same system; Me. They are one and I like ‘m both, they have their own use and value and they are as different as they are similar.

So we are putting our energy in claiming our differentness by putting safety pins in our ear or opposing the others point of view just to underline the separation. Like we put energy in singing the same song and wearing the same t-shirt in tribal colors to celebrate our similarities.

While it seems to me that we as tribal individuals should put our energy towards cleaning up the connection we have to the universal system, the universal principle. Cleaning up that connection we have to all, to you, to me, to the sea, to a tree and to the bugs on your wind shield, regardless of what we feel binds or separates us. We are connected whether we like it or not, we’d better start cleaning up our act and polish the connection.