Brad Smith - Guest

Finding a talented writer and exceptional thinker is one of the few bennies still available on Face Book. On those rare occasions, it is my intention to give their talent and intellect the widest exposure possible. BW

 

One of the problems with pushing for radical individualism and the freedom that comes with libertarian philosophy is that we are fighting against something that has been ingrained in the human race since our creation as a species. We need to rely on each other in times of emergency, we have to form groups for survival and this creates tribalism/communalism which is also necessary for our survival.
 

You can explain to people using all the logic and reason in the world why individualism and liberty are important and that in the modern world they not only create the conditions for prosperity but also help to ward off the worst effects of Tribalism and Communalism, but no amount of logic will change our lizard brain from believing otherwise.
What if I'm hurt? What if I can't handle XYZ, what if I'm stranded and alone, etc. etc. etc. That's our lizard brain at work telling us to be communal, to be tribal and even to be somewhat communistic in nature.
 

The fact is that we don't need the government and their monopoly on the use of force, to get together to help each other out. We do this every day in our normal lives without help from the government. In fact in every emergency around, it's your neighbor who is most likely to be the first responder, whether they work for the government or not is beside the point. We take care of each other when it's needed, we don't need to buy into accepting the worst aspects of tribalism and communistic thinking, where FORCE becomes the go to solution to every problem.
 

Speaking of Tribalism. We, As a species, were NOT at all prepared for the merger of Tribalism and the World Wide Web. We connected hundred of millions of Tribalistic people in a way that is completely unprecedented. Now we are shocked to see that Tribalistic people went Tribal when they were connected to each other!!!
 

Most of the hatred and animosity you see on-line is a direct result of the merger of mass media with the tribalistic mindset. I'd suggest that one of the two need to go. We can either start thinking for ourselves and drop the tribalism or we will need to ban the internet and cable news, before it rips the fabric of our nation to shreds. As I'm clearly not the guy who want to ban anything, I'm the guy who wants to see an end to Tribalism and to see it replaced with individual responsibility and individual thinking.

 
Don't hate your neighbor because you now look at them as being from a different tribe, they are NOT from a different tribe. They are the people who in the real world will be coming to your aid. Don't let the Government and the Media convince you to go Tribal, that's the divide and conquer strategy at work. They want you to think of your neighbor as being from a different tribe, When it reality it's the Media and those in Washington who profit the most from dividing us up into warring tribes and meanwhile, who do you have more in common with? Is it those in Washington, The pentagon, the media, etc. or is it your neighbor? Who's tribe do you want to belong to? If I had to choose, it will be the tribe of First Responders and that will be my neighbors every time, regardless of political affiliation.
 

If I belong to any tribe at all, it's the tribe that consists of my family, friends and neighbors. It certainly isn't as republican, democrat or ever as a libertarian. I'm not going to hate anyone because they aren't a libertarian, no more than I'll hate someone because they can't bring themselves to eat meat or go to church, etc.
 

The internet along with Cable News spawned a new era of tribalism, thinking for yourself is the only remedy I know of and it's the one remedy those in Washington and the Media will NEVER suggest you try.

Brad Smith