Who’s your tribe?

Like a symphony the natural world has many very different parts working together in harmony. We are all unique creations and made for a specific purpose. A violin cannot do the same thing as a tuba. A pig, and a bird, and a giraffe are all very differently made.

I loved the sit-com Dharma and Greg, where the flower child daughter of a hippie couple married the lawyer son of a rich conservative family. While funny and taken to extreme, as sit-coms do, there was truth in the humor and encouragement to deal with those different from us with love. As Dharma would say, “don’t fault a pig for having a short neck.” A pig cannot be a giraffe and a giraffe cannot be a pig. We think it is silly, and it is, to expect a pig to pluck leaves from the top of a tree, or to want a giraffe to root out truffles. It is just as silly to expect people to operate in ways for which we were not created. We may all be created equal, but we’re not all created the same. Don’t confuse the two.

You are a beautiful invention of the Creator. You were made the way you are to meet your purpose on this planet. Getting in touch with your true nature helps you see what that purpose is. Whatever it is, we need you.
A good clue that you are doing what you were made to do is that it is easy, you don’t even think about it. The BIG clue here is that it comes naturally, just as flying comes naturally to a bird or a bug.

Other ways you’ll know you are doing what you are meant to do is you will have lots of energy, time just flies by, and your mind is alert and active. You’ll have a natural high that, excuse me, we are all supposed to have.

Those who are going against their true nature will probably experience in varying degrees, illness, forgetfulness, anxiety attacks, and addictions. Yes binge eating absolutely counts. If these things are a part of your life, you would do well to take a look at what you are doing. The sad thing is this list applies to a large percentage of our culture. Just because a lot of people deny their natures and try to be what they’re not doesn’t make it right, or right for you. Just remind yourself it’s their decision and they are not your tribe. You tribe is the group who loves what you love, does what you do.

I like the term “when pigs fly.” It refers to something that will never happen. Pigs weren’t meant to fly, aren’t equipped to fly, and never will fly. They don’t try to and we don’t expect it of them. If only we had that much sense about ourselves and fellow humans. Your tribe in the larger sense is anyone who refuses to try and be a flying pig.