Reasons Why Being Connected To A Tribe Or Community Is Holistic

Written By: Andréa Drottholm

A word widely used in recent days, but what does it mean?

I would assume the majority of people reading this are not tribal people as what springs to mind when we talk about Tribes.

We did not emerge from the jungle painted in bright colours, hunting the food we eat on a daily basis. However, the word means we are a part of a social group, a community, a sense of belonging.

In ancient days this was a necessity for survival, very few lasted on their own.

We need each other in so many ways.

We have learned to use technology much more in these past 20 years, many of us can recall the days before Fax machines, email, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and the means to use internet to socialise. We used to write letters (on paper that is), talk on the phone but that could cost an arm and a leg.

Today we type away, we hide behind the screen and less meaningful interaction is happening in many parts of the world.

Too often when out and about travelling on public transport, sitting in the waiting room, or just simply having a moment to do “nothing” the first thing we do is to reach for our devices.

We dig them out of the pocket to connect and check out what is happening online, and amongst our friends.

The world passes by and we stay disconnected from our direct surrounding and environment. Little time is taken to look up smile at the person across from us, as we are engulfed into the online chat with our friends.

Is this good or bad? Is something missing?

From a sense of belonging its not just a digital belonging; it’s a shoulder to cry on, it’s a face to face chat, knowing we are being heard. Physical connection is essential to health.

I would be curious to know how we would survive on a mental level without the physical connection on a long term basis, and purely on digital connection.

Would we turn into what the movie HER, where people have digital partners, an application that you can talk to. Not a real person but a pre-programmed robot.

Rather scary, but is that where we are heading?

How do we stay connected?

When Ubuntu Bali first came about it was not about just creating a Yoga School, it was always meant to be a hub for a community, where like minded people come together sharing their path, and having a hand (a physical one) to reach out to.

Did we manage?

I believe we did, our community in the short 7 months since the birth of Ubuntu Bali, we have grown and become more powerful, together.

What does the community do?

We stand by each other to reach out in times of good and bad, we make sure everyone is acknowledged, lifted when needed to be lifted, heard when needed to be heard and to celebrate when they achieved even the smallest defeats, as everything is relative to each individual.

When there is a dispute as yes we have those too, we sit down and we talk until all parties have been heard and a resolution has been found.

We believe in diversity, its beautiful. We are not creating a sect, there is no Guru, leader or anyone senior or above anyone else.

We have a unity from a variety of nations. It has taught us to understand each others differences, cultures and values.

We are here to lift each other up to become the best example we can be, to point out our patterns in order to exceed them, break them and grow taller, stronger, more confident.

That is what you would hope an intimate partner would do for one another, it would be what your family would do for each other, your friends, your tribe.

There is much work to be done, many layers to shed imposed conditioning, beliefs and sometimes low self esteem created from our society. Guilt, shame, I am not enough are common factors in our psyche.

This is an ongoing work, we call it self enquiry, questioning thoughts, especially the ones that does not make us feel particularly good, the question we need to ask, is this thought serving me, lifting me, giving me joy, confidence and self love? Or is it making be feel little, of no use, bluntly speaking a bad person who always need to be better, improve and the biggest one of all guilty!

That is where our closer circles, people who love us, wants the best for us can help. We can be vulnerable feel safe that they will give us honesty and great feedback in order to see another perspective. And that is what we do for them as well.

If we don’t have the honest conversations to mirror back what we see, even when its hard to do so to tell someone something they might not want to hear but you know it could be helpful to their growth. We are not stepping up to the plate, allowing growth, change of old patterns, we stay in the comfort of self doubt and perhaps even fear, as we are so familiar with that, and change seems rather scary. Who am I if I don’t believe that thought? The thought and story I have carried for such a long time??

The intention of a community and Tribe should always be to facilitate one another to grow, to understand and accept that we are never going to be the same as the next person.

We all come with different mind sets, but there is so much to learn from this, a broader perspective of the world and us who are in it.

We need this in order to create peace amongst us, we need to work on ourselves, to touch the emotions and know that we are not the emotions but much more then that. Emotions come and go, we have values, where we put importance to what matters to us, lets focus on that, and recognise that what might be a value for you, might not be the same for me, but if I know what you hold close to your heart and how you operate I can also understand you better.

Let’s start honest and open conversations with those close to us. Those we trust to know when we are vulnerable they will not stab us but hold us.

Once we feel more secure and confident we can step out in the world, and stay true to what is important in our life, without putting ourselves to the side, lie or hide behind a mask in pure fear of being discovered for what we believe is not good enough.

Its time to step forward, work on ourselves and find your tribe to hold your hand when needed, celebrate, laugh and know that we are here for one another.

I honour those who choose to walk the path of the Warrior of light, the Ubuntu Bali Tribe has proven me nothing but that. We reach out for each other and we reach out to those around us who are in need, it’s a ripple effect that can only bring goodness.

We take, we give and we smile. Together we are strong.