Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
On the most basic level, this is a must read for everyone, especially in light if the challenges this nation and the world are currently facing. Junger's thoughts connect with the themes of "Sapiens", "Consumed", and other texts looking at the state of the modern world in light of our evolution as a society.
"Tribe" is a heart-wrenching read and many will want to dismiss the primary points due to discomfort and selfishness. Neither reaction negates the truths herein. I challenge you to read it with an open mind.
--- A few of the most impactful quotes:
"The economic and marketing forces of modern society have engineered an environment... that maximizes consumption at the long-term cost of well being... Humans have dragged [their] bodies into an overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, competitive, inequitable, and socially-isolating environment..."
Fraud in the unemployment, welfare and other entitlement programs, Medicare and Medicaid, and the insurance industry combine "costs every household $5,000 a year - or roughly the equivalent of working four months at a minimum wage job." Fraud by American defense contractors, securities and commodities, and corporations "have been estimated at... $45,000 per citizen."
"Today's veterans often come home to find that, although they are willing to die for their country, they're not sure how to live for it." ---
Those who have served often hear "thank you for your service." Most don't realize how offensive this statement may be when those who have served return to a country populated by a majority who not only don't serve but who actively engage in behaviors counter to the ideals defended. While tribalism is often negative, without a unified tribe, we as individuals are physically, morally, and emotionally destitute.
"Tribe" is a heart-wrenching read and many will want to dismiss the primary points due to discomfort and selfishness. Neither reaction negates the truths herein. I challenge you to read it with an open mind.
--- A few of the most impactful quotes:
"The economic and marketing forces of modern society have engineered an environment... that maximizes consumption at the long-term cost of well being... Humans have dragged [their] bodies into an overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, competitive, inequitable, and socially-isolating environment..."
Fraud in the unemployment, welfare and other entitlement programs, Medicare and Medicaid, and the insurance industry combine "costs every household $5,000 a year - or roughly the equivalent of working four months at a minimum wage job." Fraud by American defense contractors, securities and commodities, and corporations "have been estimated at... $45,000 per citizen."
"Today's veterans often come home to find that, although they are willing to die for their country, they're not sure how to live for it." ---
Those who have served often hear "thank you for your service." Most don't realize how offensive this statement may be when those who have served return to a country populated by a majority who not only don't serve but who actively engage in behaviors counter to the ideals defended. While tribalism is often negative, without a unified tribe, we as individuals are physically, morally, and emotionally destitute.
This is a short but powerful book on how we all need a tribe in order to navigate through our lives. A tribe helps us stay mentally fit and healthy and provides emotional support in the most difficult of times.
I would like to read this again so I can research some of the information shared. I would have liked more detail, and more stories about the people he has interviewed.
Full of fascinating facts and information about human behavior involving groups and our need to belong
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
How do you become an adult in a society that doesn’t ask for sacrifice? How do you become a man in a world that doesn’t require courage?
This is an excellent book. Please read it. It is about why PTSD is more about adjusting to an alienating society than it is about trauma.
This is an excellent book. Please read it. It is about why PTSD is more about adjusting to an alienating society than it is about trauma.
2.5/5*
This was interesting with some good ideas and diagnosis of societal issues but I thought there were some serious flaws in his solutions along with some relying on anecdotes as data. I noticed this in the beginning when he advocated co-sleeping with children and how that was born out of the gin craze and drunks rolling on their kids. While that timing is true, it isn't true that sober people do not roll over and kill their kids. In my work with first responders, I know of many stories of SIDS victims who were sleeping with a parent. The parent wakes up and doesn't even know what happened. With that crack in the beginning, his credibility took a hit for me and I took everything a lot less seriously.
It also wouldn't be a paradise if we were more tribal, it is often just another set of issues. Still, there were a lot of interesting things we've lost that can be remedied and Unger points these things out, which is valuable.
This was interesting with some good ideas and diagnosis of societal issues but I thought there were some serious flaws in his solutions along with some relying on anecdotes as data. I noticed this in the beginning when he advocated co-sleeping with children and how that was born out of the gin craze and drunks rolling on their kids. While that timing is true, it isn't true that sober people do not roll over and kill their kids. In my work with first responders, I know of many stories of SIDS victims who were sleeping with a parent. The parent wakes up and doesn't even know what happened. With that crack in the beginning, his credibility took a hit for me and I took everything a lot less seriously.
It also wouldn't be a paradise if we were more tribal, it is often just another set of issues. Still, there were a lot of interesting things we've lost that can be remedied and Unger points these things out, which is valuable.
Ironically provocative. Well articulated concerns.
"… self-determination theory, ... human beings need three basic things in order to be content: they need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others. These values are considered “intrinsic” to human happiness and far outweigh “extrinsic” values such as beauty, money and status.
"… self-determination theory, ... human beings need three basic things in order to be content: they need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others. These values are considered “intrinsic” to human happiness and far outweigh “extrinsic” values such as beauty, money and status.
This is a short book, but well worth reading. Junger's analysis of what makes a tribe and what brings people together and pulls them apart is very thoughtfully done. I read this right after David Wallace-Wells somewhat apocalyptic book about climate change, Uninhabitable Earth, and even though Junger isn't exactly cheery, I came away from the book feeling more hopeful. In the end, idealistic as I know it sounds, we have more in common than not. We want to be safe, want those we love to be safe and happy and healthy, and isn't that shared by just about everyone (with the exception of some truly awful people, that is)? Junger brings up the point that in today's society, there is a powerful focus on extrinsic values, which can manifest in materialism, whereas the intrinsic values are what ultimately make us happy or sad. He doesn't discount the fact that money and position can make life easier in many ways, but that it's not everything. My only criticism is that a lot of what he said could have been fleshed out a little more. That being said, I won't forget this book soon, I'm sure of that.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com