Some Musings about The Tribe

Happy Spring, Gentle Reader! 

Spring roared in to my homestead on the wings of thunder, lightning and fierce winds.

Truthfully, I was scared of the wind.

The night before the storm, I was fortunate to watch "Mongol", a film from 2007, directed by Sergei Bodrov. I have wanted to see this film since 2008, but fate kept delaying my experience. Looking back, I now see that the viewing of "Mongol" was right on time.

Apparently, according to the film, all Mongols are afraid of thunderstorms. The storms are interpreted as a sign that the Great God, Tengri, is angry with the people.

Of course, I have been thinking a lot about this film, which is billed as a 'semi-historical' account of Genghis Khan. 

 I have a fascination with the nomadic tribes and Genghis Khan in particular.

The past few months have brought news of several family members deaths. Both sides of my paternal and maternal immediate families are now officially passed from this "veil of tears". 

My Father's family was particularly close knit. Each member of that family put family first. 

As I grew older, and my Dad was facing his own mortality, I recognized that he did not belong to me. He belonged to God, his own family and us - in that order.

This closeness of family which became more difficult to sustain after WWII, was really the key to my Father's life. 

There is strength in the whole, which is comprised of individuals. 

Much benefit is derived from not straying from your Tribe.

My generation has largely lost that sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. Personally, I speculate this may be one reason so many of us feel isolated and depressed.

Perhaps we should take a page from "The Secret Life of the Mongols"?

Genghis Khan sought to unite all of the disparate, feuding tribes into one great nation with very simple laws. 

He succeeded in creating a united Empire, but - at what cost?

Genghis Khan believed in protection of women and children (family) and staunch loyalty, but his campaigns in the guise of unity brought about some of the worst slaughter and carnage the world has endured.

Is violence necessary for the greater good?

Nature itself is violent.

Find your tribe. Be loyal. Protect those that are not as fortunate as you.

Peace.

Genghis Khan

Image courtesy of Wikipedia