Is who we are first tribal, or is it nothing at all?—particles unjoined, the dust of eons. How do we make sense of our place in the world as homo sapiens? Do we even need to hold on to that identity? Must we be labeled, categorized, forbidden, dismissed?
Embracing the isolation of our own self-definitions, we pretend to be the only ones allowed—better, exclusive, oppressed by difference. All the while the net frays, the miracles of being turn into an infinity of voices drowning in egos with closed eyes, with closed hearts, with lost souls.
shine bright
you are everything and
like nothing else
Ammol at dVerse asks us to consider Pride Month.
K. 
“Shine bright … you are everything…and like nothing else” What a mantra!
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Thanks Beverly.
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“egos with closed eyes, with closed hearts, with lost souls” – Agreed.
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Thanks Ken.
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Your first sentence is very pivotal, Kerfe. I think a lot of people are tribal. It take a long time for some things to change.
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I think you are right Robbie.
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I don’t suppose early Homo Sapiens had much time for self-questioning. They just survived, like animals do. Are we better, happier, more advanced than our ancestors or just more confused?
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Definitely more confused. I’m not much good at defining “better”. We don’t seem to be too happy though.
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‘Happiness’ seems inextricably confused with ‘possessions’.
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I read an article last night about archeological evidence showing prehistoric peoples even in groups where there were limited supplies of food and such taking care of individuals who would have needed high levels of care. It seemed a marked contrast to me of the often selfish behavior we’re seeing now. And some Native American groups, and other cultures, accepted two-spirit individuals. . . It seems sometimes like we’re only technically “advanced.”
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Yes, I read that they had found evidence of individuals who had physical handicaps and wouldn’t have been able to look after themselves had still lived longish lives proving they must have been looked after by the group.
Yes, a two spirit person has always seemed like a sensible sort of idea to me. Being yourself shouldn’t have to need heavy medical intervention, should it?
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No, it shouldn’t.
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You’d think not.
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Primitive is the wrong word for our ancestors in so many ways.
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Yep. And ‘developed’ not very accurate for us.
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Not at all.
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sometimes it do. 😉
You can trust me on that one.
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I’m just glad I don’t have to make the ethical decisions on this one. It’s too complex an issue.
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Estrogen has helped me to survive, helps me to help me be who I am, not a complex issue, just had to do it, grateful for it, lots of people like me had died from the dysphoria before it was available. simple actually, and evidence based.
https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-the-well-being-of-transgender-people/
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I’m glad the treatment has helped you. As I said, it is a complex issue, and I’m not a doctor a science or a psychologist so I don’t feel qualified to talk about the subject and I don’t know enough about it to even have an opinion.
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I too am glad you found a treatment that helps. Sexuality and gender are complex, and what works is different for each person. I do think a more fluid cultural definition of who we can be would help everyone be more comfortable in their skin– it’s not always just gender identity that causes us to feel out of sync.
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And people keep buying more, even though it fails to provide the desired result…
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Novelty. Not a very deep emotion or very worthy, but that’s what we’re like mostly.
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I think it all starts with the knowledge of self, the problem is not that we define that self to others but that we let the relation judge others.
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Yes we often have no idea who we are, and so let others decide for us.
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Very neat art piece. I think we are and we want to be part of a tribe. I think we are even ok with hierarchies in tribes. It’s when we cannibalize each other for personal gain that things go so very wrong.
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Maybe. I don’t feel I belong to any group through which I would define myself though. Which group would own me? I’m not sure there is one. “She’s one of us”–i can’t imagine anyone saying that.
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You are definitely part of a group here on WP. Artist-poet-philosophers
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Thanks Jade.
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Beautiful. Both verse as well as the image. 🙏🦋🌎
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Thanks Bela.
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Did you do the collage as well? Love it, and the poem. The message of both.
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Yes, the collage is mine, thanks!
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I’d like to see more of your work. I’m an assemblage artist as well.
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Just look through all my posts.
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I love your haiku here. It is a very powerful and healing affirmation.
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Thanks Suzanne. There’s a lot of healing needed at the moment.
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I stopped short at: ”How do we make sense of our place in the world as homo sapiens? Do we even need to hold on to that identity?” Almost a koan.
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Thanks Petru. It would be good to enlarge our identities I think.
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Strong and resilient message
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Thanks Jude.
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“egos with closed eyes. . .”
“shine bright
you are everything and
like nothing else”
Wonderful words that we should embrace–though that is hard to do.
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Thanks Merril. So much is difficult right now.
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“you are everything and like nothing else”
Definitely words to live by!
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Thanks Mish.
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This poem “shines bright”, K.
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Thanks!
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I think the essence of grace might be the unity we bring into the world as opposed to the divisions. This is wonderful K. 🙂
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Thanks Lona. That unity is sorely needed right now.
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True!
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