Jim:
I believe in a tribal system. That is, I think people are tribal and have
always been tribal. We also deny well. Anyway, I see rites of passage
and communal memory systems that smack of tiger chasing and fire
controlling.
I also see a lack of mysticism. Here in the U.S., we control so much that
we think we can control the tides, stars, and weather. Tribal images of
mountains and volcanoes are images of respect and spirituality. These are
long lost since we sent robots into the volcano and have hard data to use
or seek understanding. We are not afraid to travel up the slope of Mt.
St. Helens with a CNN camera. This only scares us into urban wars.
Jesse W. White
jwhite@comp.uark.edu
On Mon, 11 Sep 1995, Jim Michmerhuizen wrote:
> In your last paragraph you allude to a difference between short- and long-
> term conduct of a group. I think that difference is terribly important.
> Over time, a team becomes a "tribe" and can afford to reflect (i.e.
> articulate, coin new names, abbreviate, build a common language of
> mutually convenient shorthand terms) on the patterns that it finds, upon
> examination, in its own habitual practice, whether for good or ill.
>
> I like your emphasis on the doing, first, without names.
>
> Regards
> Jim Michmerhuizen
-- Jesse W. White jwhite@comp.uark.edu