This is part 1 of a 5-part article. Subsequent segments will be published daily. NEARLY ALL OF THE WEAKNESSES I listed here are found in many traditional tribal cultures. In our day new kinds of tribes are emerging with huge potential influence, power and popularity. Indeed, the 21st Century may be the era where tribes become the most … [Read more...]
Basic Tribal Culture, Part 3: Major Weaknesses of Tribalism
This is part 2 of a 3-part series, which is continued from this series. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here At this point, we should note that while traditional tribal culture does have much to teach us from its idyllic simplicity, it is far from perfect. Studying its pitfalls and common flaws is also instructive. When tribes are run by … [Read more...]
Basic Tribal Culture, Part 2: The Tribal Worldview
This is part 2 of a 3-part series, which is continued from this series. Read Part 1 Here With this in mind, let’s discuss what the tribal ideal really is. With the assumption of local governance under the direction of concerned and involved citizens who were invested in one another’s success and security—basically a tribal council at the … [Read more...]
Basic Tribal Culture, Part 1
This 3-part series continues from this series. THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE MAJOR CULTURAL TRADITIONS of the world’s history, which can be described as Warriors, Farmers and Competitors. Warriors Warrior cultures believe in enemies, battles, winners and losers, us versus them, strength, courage, victory, personal skill, honor, resiliency, and … [Read more...]
Why Tribes are Vital to Success in the 21st Century, Part 3: Foundations of American Freedom
This is part 3 of a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here The most accurate way, then, to diagram the American governmental system is to diagram the local system correctly, then the federal and state levels with their three branches each, separations of power and checks and balances. But how exactly does one diagram the local … [Read more...]
Why Tribes are Vital to Success in the 21st Century, Part 2: Freedom at the Local Level
This is part 2 of a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here Civics 101 The first constitutions and governments in America were local, and there were hundreds of them. These documents were the basis of later state constitutions, and they were also the models in which early Americans learned to actively cooperate to govern themselves. Without … [Read more...]
Why Tribes are Vital to Success in the 21st Century, Part 1: Our Tribal Roots
This is part 1 of a 3-part article. Subsequent segments will be published daily. SETH GODIN'S RUNAWAY BESTSELLER Tribes took a quaint anthropological label and turned it into a pop culture buzz-word. And while his timely ideas helped articulate a fresh and needed approach to marketing and beyond, the power of tribal culture is far greater … [Read more...]
Beyond the Vote, Part 4: The Big Decision
This is part 4 of a 4-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Read Part 3 Here The answer to these questions is for citizens to begin to study and think a lot more about government and to stop ignoring freedom by leaving it to the political professionals. Unless regular people realize that freedom is up to them, not the experts, … [Read more...]
Beyond the Vote, Part 3: Responses to Being Patronized
This is part 3 of a 4-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Read Part 4 Here When a few citizens realize that they are being “handled” by the professionals of their party, the first response is naturally to want to elect better party leaders. When time shows that this doesn’t work -- that in fact it is the nature of party … [Read more...]
Beyond the Vote, Part 2: The End of History
This is part 2 of a 4-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 3 Here Read Part 4 Here Francis Fukayama predicted in the 1990s that with the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War this conflict between the rich and poor nations was over; he called this “the end of history,” citing both Hegel and Marx. In the ensuing model of … [Read more...]