This morning, I looked out of the window, and the beauty that lies just beyond the glass held my attention. The scene reminded me that no matter the season, there are extraordinary vistas to behold. Whether it is snow, balmy green, colorful orange, red, or yellow sprinkled with green, or a busy field bustling with new life, it doesn’t matter. Even the place has no bearing.
There are so many parallel tags that can be drawn to the seasons, so many that they overwhelm. Beauty is everywhere. People are the same. Gems are always sparkling within, no matter where or who they happen to be.
In my last blog post, I suggested that people would be better off if we could forgo the tribe mentality, the us and them confrontation. But then, my roommate from college and friend of at least a half-century reminded me that the tribal mentality is a documented genetic trait and is universally found in humans.
The tribe ethic is a self-protection procedure that enhances the chances of survival. It makes all kinds of sense — the trite phrase, safety in numbers matches right up. I can’t believe I missed that, but a friend’s job is pointing out things one misses. But .…
No, there is no but. There can be an And, though
What there happens to be possible, is a continuation of the tribal thought.
If it isn’t changeable in the short run, it takes generations to impact genetics, but it is not impossible. African elephants changed things. No, that’s incorrect; it was the poacher who changed them. What they did was kill all the long-tusked elephants for their abundant ivory, making the short-tusked elephants the survivors. Well! All the poachers succeeded in doing was lowering their prospective pool of ivory.
So, what does that have to do with tribal mentality? A great deal.
Gene pools are fluid. It just takes generations. What I have in mind is to ignore how long it will take.
Think of it as taking place in the Now. That is my personal view of the workings of time. In a nutshell, everything happens at once, all at the same time. I explored this in my book, I Am, Therefore I Think. You will find it interesting.
I am advocating relaxing our egos and letting communal thoughts blossom; it is not forcing anyone to do anything in any way—shaming, bullying, pressuring, controlling, et cetera. I’m suggesting this should be all about unwinding peer pressure and opening commonality. Why should we focus on differences? Why not lift the fact that we are all Children of the Universe and celebrate what connects us all?
It could start small, with two, three, or a handful of people at a time who commit to softening our edges just a smidge. Trust someone and honestly look at how similar we all are. After all, if we hadn’t trusted another’s viewpoint, we would still be eating raw meat. How about we let things grow in newfound ease and love?
What I have in mind is simple. The tribal problem needs to be stretched. Think of the tribe concept as a circle of related people, like a rubber band. Imagine we all stretch that rubber band to include a larger population. That is the whole idea of nationalities, but there are some things we can improve.
Now, my blog is beginning to look like a political blog, and that’s not the intent, so let me remind everyone that I am not a politician and have no intention of becoming one. In the vernacular of the hippies, “It’s not my thing.”
I think and write.
I’ve mulled this over, chewed on it, and played around with it. Having said that, and at the risk of being redundant, it is not fruitful to focus on our differences. I want to draw attention to what every human being has in common.
So now I envision many readers scratching their mental heads, wondering what the hell that could be.
Out of all the cultures, from simple to complex, they all have it—music. It makes sense if you think about it. There is music within every culture. Yes, I know the deaf community doesn’t hear all the frequencies, but they feel and experience the vibrations. Let me remind you that humans don’t hear all the frequencies, either. Ever heard the sound a dog whistle makes?
I think the deaf community may be closer to actual Universal Harmony than the rest of us because they feel it constantly with their whole bodies. The rest of humanity does, too, but they aren’t conscious of it.
If everyone claims their tribe as music, we can be united in one way. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you prefer, either. It can be salsa (who doesn’t want to move around when they hear that?). How about hard rock and maybe easy listening? Then there is percussion or simply listening to a haunting melody. I don’t want to leave out country, or pop, or even rap.
Let’s not forget music from other traditions, such as Asian and African. How about the Baltic? It doesn’t matter what genre of music you enjoy because, at the heart of things, the vibrations connect us all to everything else.
There are too many types to mention them all. The point is that music is everywhere.
So, why not claim music as your tribe? We can all learn to be at ease with each other and vibrate in harmony with everything. Let’s choose harmony.
Music is my tribe.
Join me. There is nothing dangerous about it. All you have to do is realize that music connects us to everything.
That’s all It takes. Go listen to some music and think about it.
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2 thoughts on “Music Is My Tribe”
Love it. I didn’t think it was political at all. Really enjoyed it.
Love it! Music is my tribe, too! Some songs that I have heard, and some that I have written and sing to myself. Keep writing, listening, and singing!
– Paul