Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger is a book I saw reviewed in The Washington Post. Sebastian Junger is probably best known for The Perfect Storm.
Started: 2/16/2017
Completed: 2/20/2017
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: The Washington Post
Review:
This book is small and it would appear from the introduction that it is almost instantly confrontational. It is worth noting that the author finds some serious fault with current society (and offers a potential remedy) while acknowledging how cool things are in our society. It is my feeling that discussions of war, soldiers, and PTSD are a foil for the larger issue of some of the benefits of tribal society. Do we really care for each other? Do we help each other? Sometimes it seems like we do not and we certainly don't show the cohesiveness of a war band. Do soldiers have a place in society? Sometimes it appears that we do not and hollow thank-yous are an inadequate substitute for an actual job.
In the end, are we willing to band together and support one another? This is a tribal quality that is missing in our large, complex, luxurious, and very modern society. Whether this quality can be included in our society or not is a serious question and whether we, culturally, are actually willing to welcome such a thing is something else as well.
This book is long on questions and short on answers (which is just fine). It is worth noting that many of the issues this book addresses are things that we all need to be able to handle as a society. Not knowing of any reasonable answer is a little disconcerting, but the author does give us one suggestion that we can all pursue--hold a veterans day where veterans can come in and just speak their minds with other people listening. This is a way to truly thank veterans for their service. How many other professions/tasks are going unrecognized and leading to difficult situations?
This book is small and it would appear from the introduction that it is almost instantly confrontational. It is worth noting that the author finds some serious fault with current society (and offers a potential remedy) while acknowledging how cool things are in our society. It is my feeling that discussions of war, soldiers, and PTSD are a foil for the larger issue of some of the benefits of tribal society. Do we really care for each other? Do we help each other? Sometimes it seems like we do not and we certainly don't show the cohesiveness of a war band. Do soldiers have a place in society? Sometimes it appears that we do not and hollow thank-yous are an inadequate substitute for an actual job.
In the end, are we willing to band together and support one another? This is a tribal quality that is missing in our large, complex, luxurious, and very modern society. Whether this quality can be included in our society or not is a serious question and whether we, culturally, are actually willing to welcome such a thing is something else as well.
This book is long on questions and short on answers (which is just fine). It is worth noting that many of the issues this book addresses are things that we all need to be able to handle as a society. Not knowing of any reasonable answer is a little disconcerting, but the author does give us one suggestion that we can all pursue--hold a veterans day where veterans can come in and just speak their minds with other people listening. This is a way to truly thank veterans for their service. How many other professions/tasks are going unrecognized and leading to difficult situations?
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