Well, This weekend has seemed to go on forever and ever! It started with everyone leaving, and its been a slow trickle of faces held dear, disappearing into the mist for a few months, and some years.... Time after time I sit and stare--wondering how so many different lives could cross paths only to return to their old stomping grounds at the exact same time, I understand its part of this institution we call school, it happens, sure! people all come together with common objective goal, and there are institutionalized periods of time that we are allotted to see our friends and family. However, It seems as if we have all melded into one conglomerate unit, our own family of sorts, we find solace in seeing each others face's, we become elated to hear about each others days, although they are eerily close the same day we just experiences, with a few different variables that inevitable like classes, what we eat, and who we encounter-- most of which we have to understand are built into to each others life's by the very thing we are here for, in a way its almost a predestined year.

We sign the dotted line into a year that we have put faith into our academic supervisors to create for us on our behalf, granted, they are willing to accomodate any needs, but for the most part, they potentially could introduce you to your future spouse, whether they know it or not....

Perhaps that's just how life is, we are all thrown together with one common objective; now this objective may vary depending on how you see life, however, for the most part we all hold a few key distinct qualities that make us all --- well human, we desire: Security, Survival, Food, Sex, Love, Unconditional Love, entertainment, knowledge, self-acquisition, self-association, Self-esteem, and power..... We all have experienced all of these traits through out life times, or will eventually, Now the kicker is this, How the Hell do we all do this peacefully? Well, its difficult to say exactly in one sentence, but, my philosophy on human interaction is this, now please realize I am not a trained anthropologist (a Studier of Cultures and People Interaction) However, I can, based on my own personal experience lay claim to this, and that is, That our species, has for thousands of years existed in a realm of close-knit communities that worked as a team/tribe to rely on each others survival....

Lets break this down, a group/tribe is quoted from the Merriam Websters dictionary as this,

1 a: a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers 2: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest

Thus we can lay claim that a tribe is a collective whole comprised of groups living with common character, occupation or interest, in such a way they are surviving together.

Now the main problem with TODAY'S mentality is, that we still want to have this interconnected tie of clansmenship and commroadary, however, its difficult to find... We are born into our immediate clan, this has not changed since the dawn of time. (If you want to go ahead and take into consideration the ability to divorce, have at it, but its still someone/something you are connected to at birth.) Thus, we still embody the first break down of definition number 1. "A social group comprising numerous families, and in most cases, according to the doctrinal law of marriage upheld by the state, they should have like interests for the childs well being.

Now that we have established the one control of our past, the only thing that has changed is, that throughout the years tribes have expanded, grown, conquered, inbread, raped, pillaged, and cross-bread between clans, creating this amalgamation of people that have inherently lost most of their cultural backing, Now- This was inevitable according to the progression of time. However, in Todays age, we have not made accomodations for how we live, and how we, the people, govern our selves, because its all we know.

We desperately seek to find circles "Tribes" of friends that we can "Fit In With," we urge our offspring to get involved and be social, in hopes they dont get lost in the fray and "Lose themselves." Countless times, I have seen people from my periferral vision seep through the cracks, and lose self-esteem, I too did this... Middle School?! Remember that anyone one? Thats when we develop a since of self, and begin to discover life and human interaction, we resort back to our animalistic insticnts and let our hormones guide our paths, the constant fights, the bickering, the gossip, and the backstabbing all take a stake in this, going through such institutions is in a weird way comprabale to the trials and tribulations the spartans put their offspring through, haha okay maybe not as bad, but has a lasting effect on our character.

Enough Diatribes, Basically, we need to understand that we live in a metropolithic society and we still hold on to tribalistic ideals, so heres the conundrum,

do we change the environment we live in or do we change how we interact in the environment?

There are three types of people in this world, the ones who adapt and dominate the social stratosphere, cascading through the tribal :networks: indellably as if they had previously been the medicine man that traveled from tribe to tribe. Then there are the ones who fail in great depths at the social cycle, probably due to poor middle/grade school experiences, or were rushed into the social realm before they had a sense of self. and lastly there are the "Outliers" (A book a good friend once told me about) that consists of those individuals that some how, regardless of who they are, succeed through their actions, E.X. Bill Gates...etc...

So how can we make sure all 3 types of people (and the varying Greys) inbetween are represented and accounted for?

Well, this is where is gets interesting, Thanks to the internet, we have seen a schizm in the way the world opperates. Before, the archytpes where seperated socially, almost in cast systems, you had the Jocks, The Nerds, The Cheerleeders, and the Geeks, this all occurred in our

"Parents America."

Furthering, Now that the internet is readily available, and I can genuinely say that my generation was probably one of the first through to grow up with a personal computer in their household, enabling me to take my education into my own hands, and learn anything I wanted to at my own rate, or even behind closed doors, meshing the two together, a Jock, can now be the worlds best "Closet Computer Programmer" and a nerd, can still well, be a "Computer Programmer" haha, but in all actuallity the nerds can now obtain the same addrenaline rush, and sense of teamship the jocks once held dear, by taking part in the world of online/offline computer gaming.

In addition the internet eased the process of global connectivity, and tribes. I see tribes everywhere on a daily bases--- in the lunch room ill see what we call "Clicks" I have no clue where the term came from but, its what they are, a selective group of people that have found friendship or more, and have in a way "Clicked" off from the rest of the crowd. I see them in the shopping malls of america, just take a look around, we can even break it down into greater groups of association, people are now wearing things that will let their fellow clansmembers be able to recognize them from a distance--- E.X. Religious people wear religious emblems, Band Groupies wear their favorite Band Clothing, you can even break it down to styles of clothing, like an athletic person may choose to wear sneakers, and gym shorts showing the world that he/she is athletic or on their way to work out.

Its almost as if that, who we are and how we act is made up by the social casts that we choose to associate ourselves with, and being in such a large, metropolithic society, we can

"wear multiple hats" -David Foote

meaning that we can represent many different casts at one time! almost advertising our interests on our bodies in hopes to find a person with similair interests...

Hold on-- that made me vomit a litte in my mouth just there---,

has it become so lame that we have to advertise this because we have come so far from the tradtional tribe, where we can no longer tell if they are part of our tribe from a mile away?

instead they need to tell us by labeling themselves with propaganda? It seems to be the case.

However, we can go even one step further, and break down the clicks to the digital realm. With the invention/discover/whatever you want to call it of the internet, we are enabled the right to host a tribe/clan virtually, no longer, do I need to physically see you to label you a "Bro", or a "Pal."
through text alone, and how we type, speak, and submit our values over the web can dignify you as a teammate, threat, or neutral. Especially in the Online Gaming realm... Facebook, Myspace, MydigitalTribe blah blah blah, whatever the latest thing is, is exactly that, a digital tribe....

Basically to wrap it all up, we all yern for a certain comrodary, kinsminship, and unconditional love, or acceptance from another person, some find it in their spouse alone, others look for groups they can associate with, our society wont change, because WE, a collective whole, created it what it is today, so, WE now have to adapt, Please please please dont go through life, jumping from one acquaintence to another, find a group of people that know you, that can hold you accountable, that will help you in your hour of need, and will watch your children for you, Also, PLEASE let your child find his/her own way, if there is ONE thing I cannot stress enough it is:

The world you grew up in is 100 years ago, the world moves too quickly for us to hold roots in, every few seconds another person is born, graduates, and dies, lifes fast, get on board quick!

Traditions are the anomoly, and we need to have those types of activities to make us human, so keep holding onto your family tradtions, and if you dont have any MAKE SOME, its the only thing we have left once our parents die, and grandparents die-- the memories, and traditions/rituals we have, Each person is born into this world on a fresh slate, is their own to carve, not yours -- guide them the best you can, but for the most part, they are on their own socially.

Its just not the same,

The Rubble of Antiquity we came from, The status of Primitivity we Grew from, the World Grows larger with each passing second, yet becomes smaller and smaller as the days go forth,

please introduce your self to your neighbor, I spoke more words to my neighbor this morning (After I had already moved, then I did when I was right next to her) Become involved in your community, and for your childrens sake, teach them values and morals.

Thanks, Sorry for the Ramblings, if you actually read all of this and want to discuss further hit me up, thanks

Alexander.