The Rise of Tribalism

Back in 1923, Freud put down the three components of his personality theory, The Id, the Ego and the Superego; the elements under which he intended to structure our Psyche.

While at our deepest levels the Id represented the unconscious; the Superego by contrast, depicted the highest altitudes of our aspirations.

The Ego was then meant to mediate the polarity between them and also tasked to negotiate with the external world. Not the easiest gig around for sure.

It should not come as a surprise then that the Ego, as it mirrors the outside world to perform its duties, it paradoxically stops being a true reflection of the Psyche. At the very least, the Ego is then a blend of ourselves and the context we live within.

But that is cool, nothing wrong with a fair compromise, if it is to benefit both the individual and our societies. Looking back through history, it is often the extremes that mark the pace of times, and not for good reasons.

On the other hand, a macabre one, could the Ego sabotage both the individual and society?

I am afraid so. Absolute chaos and destruction, that is, a place and time where both the individual and society lost, has happened already.

Many of us today have this unsettling gut feeling that the western pendulum is no longer unbalanced; it has cracked, and it is about to break.

Much like photogrammetry -the science of reconstructing a 3D object with 2D images- today our Self is frantically based on partial third-party imagery. The locus of our Self-Esteem has rarely been so far outside of our own self.

This could explain why a growing number of people vehemently wish to imprint their chosen persona on other people’s mind.

It could simple be a cry to validate my existence by coercing others to construct my chosen Self in other people's minds.

Could it be that we can no longer recognize ourselves if not by the opinions of other people?

In our necessary quest for identity, we are stepping out of line the minute we impede our fellow’s right to find his. The cornerstone of the western societal contract is fundamentally the principle of subtle reciprocity; it supports my volition as long as I respect yours.

The infinite sub-categorization of gender and race to validate our existence has been weaponized to construct personas, gender and race are no longer generic tenets meant to help us coexist in society, tenets that never intended to define or coerce individualism.

This anarchy is just not needed; we were given a name at birth, which combined with free speech and free enterprise, are all we need to build our identity.

I designed and built The Hero Light Sculpture to honor those among us that choose to stand for their beliefs despite all the collateral damage that it brings them. We will be demonized, we might even be chastised but deep in our hearts, it is the right thing to do. I am with you. Stand strong.

The Hero
Reclaimed Mahogany & Light
Montreal, September 2021