About a week ago I went out for some coffee with a friend of mine, Ryan, just to have fun and talk, like we usually do. Now, if you look at some of the discussions Ryan and I have had in the comments here, or if you go over to “Your Right To Say It” you will quickly see that we are polar opposites when it comes to religious and political views, yet somehow, we are still best friends. This is one of the reasons I enjoy hanging out with him, we can totally “rip each other apart” and in the same breath say, “so what are you doing this weekend?” Anyways, it was during this time we had over a cup of coffee, that something unusual happened, we agreed. Not 100%, but we still agreed. We were talking about governments and so on, and I made the comment, “democracy may not be perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got”, but he begged to differ. He had read this book by Daniel Quinn called, Beyond Civilization: Humanity’s Next Great Adventure. It discusses how the best way of living would be in “tribes”, or in a “commune” type of situation. Nothing is under lock and key, you would take as you NEED. A very interesting idea, and I have to admit this is pretty much the only point at which we agreed. Ryan, had bought this book for me later that day as a gift. And I am almost done with it. I plan to do a complete review of the book. So far it is a very good book, and I highly recommend you read it, even if you don’t agree with it. I guess the whole point of this post is the the whole fact Ryan and I are so close, you hear of all these democrats and republicans hating each other and just ripping each other to shreds it’s nice to know that polar opposites can still be friends. I guess that would truly be humanity’s next great adventure, if there were actually dialog and not just a bunch of insults being slung across the table.
Essential Shift
waiting to be missional
16 Comments
Funny how that works isn’t it Nick? I think I told you before, but my best friend is a Mormon and very involved in his church. He’s never taken a drink or smoked in his life, went on a mission and he is still a virgin at 28! So he takes his beliefs very seriously. On more than one occasion we have had religious discussions and have torn into each others beliefs. I even took apart his beliefs in Joseph Smith as a prophet by showing his history to my friend. Yet despite all of our religious & political differences, there is no one in this world who I trust and respect more than him. He was the best man at my wedding and I was there when he gave his speech before his church before going on his mission. Funny how such polar opposites can be such good friends!
I think it’s a very good thing that there are relationships like these. Oh and i should mention Tricia here as well, she said she would even vote for me if I ever ran for office, I would say the same, but she’s not a citizen. :)
That’s actually a very biblical view. That’s how the early church functioned. They shared everything and gave to each as he had need. I agree also that it is a much more superior solution than Capitalism or Democracy. This is actually one reason why I’m so intrigued by the open source community. It’s the philosophy behind it that makes it a thing of beauty. When you get a massive group of people together who give selflessly it’s amazing what can happen.
On a side note (but still related) that’s one reason why I LOVE STNG. The society in that show exists in exactly this way.
Yeah, that’s what I first thought of when I read this, but then I immediately remembered the guy who didn’t give everything he owned and then was struck down dead….
Ananias and Saphira. But they weren’t struck dead for not giving everything. They were struck dead for lying to God and their community about how much they gave.
Ahh, true. Forgive me.
But I still think this would be a very ideal structure to live within.
I think it’s absolutely ideal.
Living in a tribe? No thank you. But I have friends who I disagree with quite often and spend time with as well. It’s always good to have someone to counter your thoughts or else you would never be challenged to create sound arguments.
I think it would be more accurate to say “community” than “tribe.” I could be wrong though.
It’s not so much as a tribe in the form we are thinking of. I will go further in my review.
Now I am interested in the book. I’ll look for it at the bookstore.
While this is taking it too far, hear me out. I think that the tribal or community idea is great. I think it is much like the true ideas of communism. In fact communism would be great too. The problem is that too many people are sinful, selfish, or greedy. The leaders of the community (funny how that shares the same root word as communism) sometimes become corrupt. When this happens (and it would in this fallen world) those who do not have leadership status become impoverished and indebted to the leaders for their every move.
This is why mutually agreed upon democracy often becomes the best option for many cultures.
Just thought I would throw that out there
Absolutely, Joel. Communism, in theory is great. But in practice it’s impossible.
Also, I keep thinking of those “christian” communities that tried this very idea…Waco, Jim Jones. All ended in tragedy.
There is a huge difference between Jim Jones and the “tribe” situation though. Jim Jones was the leader of a cult along with David Koresh. The peoples best interests weren’t on their minds as much as “I need power” was.
Bobbie, I’m glad you put the word christian in quotes.
Joel, It’s good to hear from you again :)
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