A pluralistic society like the one we have in the United States is an anomaly in human history. Our melting pot culture is unique. Our motto “Out of many, one” has stood in stark contrast to most of the world. Historically, most societies have been and still are tribal. People congregate into distinct groups or tribes based on characteristics such as geographical location, ethnicity, belief systems, and language.
These tribes have their own distinct culture and, historically, are loath to intermix. And, I’m not just singling out indigenous primitive tribes, like that depicted in the accompanying picture. Some of the most “sophisticated” nations of the world have people segregated into groups, where moving from one group to another is not possible.
Unfortunately, that melting pot is slowly drying out, and the fire of national pride and patriotism that fueled it is slowly becoming but a smoldering bed of embers. Aided and abetted by opportunistic politicians who see political and monetary gain in division, we’re witnessing the loss of this essential component of American exceptionalism, our pluralistic society within which individuals are not defined by their tribal affiliation.
Prior to the last decade or so, immigrants who came to America wanted to become “Americans” and, over time, assimilated into our society. This was true in my own family. My paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States in the first decade of the 20th century. Neither one of them spoke English, but they insisted that their children learn English and acclimate themselves to their new society. This is no longer occurring. And, we appear to be reverting to the worldwide norm—tribalism.
Why should this concern us? Tribal identification is, perhaps, the first and most basic manifestation of a human devaluation window: If you are not of my tribe, you’re not like me and probably are inferior to me. I don’t trust you, and I am wary of your peaceful intent. Therefore, I can exclude you from my family of humans. This tribal differentiation enables cloudy or closed worldview windows that, in many cases, is benign but, as in the case of the Hitler and the Nazis, can cause great harm and devastation.
One of the most essential elements of an ethically intelligent person is an open and clear worldview window. Our worldview window determines how we perceive reality. Directly determines who we value. If it’s corroded and clouded with tribal prejudice, we can begin to exclude entire groups of people from our family of humans. That exclusion enables the wanton destruction of life that we see in our own country today.
Like the Nazi death squads that exterminated entire villages, including women and children, simply because they were Jews, the Orlando shooter who systematically murdered 49 innocent humans simply because they were not members of his “tribe”, is a stark reminder of the importance of our pluralistic society. We should treasure the pluralistic gift that makes us who we are.
