Podcast #217: The Importance of Having a Tribe

In many modern, Western democracies, individualism reigns supreme. The goal of life is to be a man who marches to the beat of his own drummer and is unencumbered by others. Individuals who prefer tribalism or group belonging are either looked at with suspicion or disdain. But what if our quest for hyper-individualism is actually making us miserable?

What if belonging to a tight-knit group that requires loyalty and self-sacrifice is the key to feeling fulfilled and wholly human?

That's the argument that my guest makes in his latest book. His name is Sebastian Junger. You may have read his account of being embedded with an Army platoon serving in Afghanistan in his must-read book War, or seen his visceral documentary about battle in the Korengal Valley called Restrepo.

In his latest book, Tribe, Junger uses his firsthand experience as a war reporter as a starting point in exploring the vital human need to belong to a group. In today's show, Sebastian and I discuss how humans are wired for tribalism, how males bond, and whether or not it's possible to recapture tribe in a large and prosperous society.

Show Highlights

• The most surprising thing Sebastian learned about war after being embedded in an army platoon for a year


• Why men miss combat


• Why men need a challenge or enemy to tightly bond


• Why sharing feelings among men actually gets in the way of male bonding


• Why early white settlers in America would run off with Indian tribes


• How humans really react during societal breakdowns


• Is it possible to create tribe during a time of prosperity and peace?


• What the Amish can teach us about creating tribe in modern life


• Why community has declined in the West during the past century


• Why mental illness goes up when prosperity increases


• Why mental disorders went down during the London Blitz


• And much more!

Resources/Studies/People Mentioned in Podcast

• War


• Restrepo


• Men in Groups by Lionel Tiger


• My podcast interview with Joe Klein on Charlie Mike and The Mission Continues


• The London Blitz


• Communities vs. Networks


• The Three Families Every Young Man Needs


• My podcast interview with Marc Dunkelman on The Vanishing Neighbor


• Veterans Town Hall

Tribe deftly synthesizes a lot of the arguments we've been making the past few years on the Art of Manliness about the importance of community in our lives. Pick up a copy of it today on Amazon.

Connect With Sebastian

Sebastian's Website

Sebastian on Twitter

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Read the Transcript

Coming soon!