Groups and Friends
Mon, January 25, 2021 
It seems to me that within the human psyche there is a need to believe in something.
Common beliefs bring people together as a group and gives the members some comfort in knowing that others agree with their beliefs.
Therefore there is safety within that group, they are among friends. It has always been that way.
For example, people in groups based on where they lived, or where they were from, race, appearance, and religious beliefs.
Today with the Internet and social media it has brought about a situation where people can easily form an infinite number of groups with a vast number of beliefs, not just locally but nationwide and even worldwide.
Conspiracy theories abound, and while some of them might sound ludicrous to an outsider, I ask myself are they any more illogical than some of the religious beliefs? It is just that the various religions have been around for thousands of years and so have gathered a larger following. Therefore they are established and generally accepted.
I have no problem with the principles of religion, in fact the world could use some right now. The problem is all the religions are so out of date. If you take the story of Adam and Eve as “Symbolic,” rather than historical fact. Eating the forbidden fruit from the “Tree of Knowledge,” is a prophecy that the miss-use of knowledge will eventually destroy this planet.
I think what gives me a different perspective is that I have lived half my life in England and half in the United States. My time in America has been split between living on the West Coast and now the South East. You could not find two more diverse cultures with differing political or religious beliefs, and yet I have managed to live harmoniously on both the Left and Right Coast.
I mostly keep my political viewpoints to myself; I do not ask others what their beliefs are. They may ask me my opinions, and I will answer honestly if pressed. Based on those answers people either accept me or not, I do not court or pressure others to accept my viewpoint. I distance myself from anyone who tries to convert me to their point of view.
Having one’s own line of thinking is true freedom, one cannot be totally free as an individual if one is being bought or sold on some market of this or that ideology. We are each and all Free Spirits, with the ability to think independently of others.
People talk a lot about “Individual Freedom,” but if they see an individual exercising their freedom, it makes them a little uncomfortable. Which is probably why many are drawn towards the various groups, to the detriment of society as a whole.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have “One Nation Under God” once more, simply made up of families and groups of friends?
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Reader Comments (5)
Ah, but which god? There are so many to choose from. What if there is no god? Then what? Of course, everyone means their god and not your god. That's tribalism for you. No child is born hating anyone - they need to be taught that
BTW - the "under god" part of the pledge (ritual reciting of which appears to be unique among developed countries) was only added in 1954, after the mullahs won power back from the Constitution's separation of church and state. Who's dividing us? Hmmmm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance#Addition_of_%22under_God%22
SteveP,
The "God" part is optional, it is not what the article is about. I only put it there so everyone would know that I was referring to the Pledge of Allegiance,
It is about allowing others to have their beliefs, and just all getting along.
Dave
You're right in that people want to belong to groups. This probably has been the way throughout history (and prehistory). Individually, humans are not imposing animals (for all their mental prowess). We are only formidable as a group. As such, we enjoy strength by proxy when we belong to a group.
This explains much of what we see today. As usual, people are not content enjoying the benefits of membership in whichever group they identify with. They also want others to belong or be excluded. That's where the issues creep in.
That explains why a caucasian living in a dilapidated trailer will vote against their economic wellbeing for a candidate that represents the top 1%. They identify with that group based on skin tone, religion or whatever, so they vote for them. Of course, people also love pulling down other groups so they feel better about themselves.
This tribal nature is present in all of us, and all of us are guilty of tribalism every now and then. Educating ourselves about the issues that affect us is one way around this. We should move the emphasis in 'Individual freedom' to being individuals first - thinking like individuals, not groups.
That's one reason why I don't join groups (especially political). The problem with belonging to a group is that you get the benefits of belonging, but are also tainted with the problems each group inevitably has.
The under God bit was only added later to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 to presumably associate God with the U.S. flag for the firs Flag Day, probably to make it seem more anti-Communist and less likely to be burned as a sacred object.
I don’t pledge allegiance to that 1954 flag as mine has two more stars and it is definitely not a scared object, although I respect it.
P.R. and public image isn’t everything, but it sure is a lot!
The under God bit was only added later to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 to presumably associate God with the U.S. flag for the firs Flag Day, probably to make it seem more anti-Communist and less likely to be burned as a sacred object.
I don’t pledge allegiance to that 1954 flag as mine has two more stars and it is definitely not a scared object, although I respect it.
P.R. and public image isn’t everything, but it sure is a lot!