Tribes

Still reading The Element and I got to the part about tribes.  Sir Ken says, "For most people, a primary component of being in their Element is connecting with other people who share their passion and a desire to make the most of themselves through it."  He goes on, "Tribe members can be collaborators or competitors.  They can share the same vision or have utterly different ones.  They can be of similar age or from different generations.  What connects a tribe is a common commitment to the thing they feel born to do.  This can be extraordinarily liberating, especially if you've been pursuing your passion alone."

However tribes are not groups of people who come together for a single purpose such as being a fan of a sports team.  That also reminded me of other types of groups that I identify with, but aren't necessarily tribes.   Homeschooling groups, atheists, sports fan, former MindSpring employee, and I'm sure many others.  The difference between a tribe and a group is that a tribe helps you become more yourself.  A group is more likely to absorb you to where you become one of many.  What he says below is something I have found is true for me.

"But even in more benign versions, it results in a sense of anonymity that leads people to lose inhibitions and sometimes perform acts they later regret, and in most cases do things outside their normal personalities.  In other words, these actions can take you far from your true self."


Lately I've actually noticed this happening.  Not that it's something new, but that I never saw it before.  Being part of a group is important - I just want to be mindful that I stay myself. 

I keep thinking about my Element and now I've been thinking about my tribe.  I still don't know where I fit in at this point.  I don't mean that to sound like I feel something is missing.  What I mean is that I don't know if I've found my Element yet.  It may still be photography, but maybe I haven't shot what drives me yet.  Or maybe it's something else that I enjoy now, but I can't see it.  It could even be something I know deep down, but am afraid to really look at yet. 

Regardless I'm enjoying the book and it's inspiring me to read more and look more.