Belonging To An Unstable Tribe

In order to belong, we repeat what others say and do.

Repeating is social acceptance known as echolalia = social mirroring. Individuals who reflect the exact views of a leader or group reinforce biases without adding new insights. Mimicking the postures, gestures and spoken words of those around us forms the social glue, making interactions smoother so that others like us. In conversations, individuals naturally adapt their vocabulary, speech rates and sentence structures to match their partner. Doing so signals that they belong to the same tribe or social circle.

Just watch this happening in a group jacuzzi! 🙂

Without an inner guide, we become unstable when we’re faced with an alternative view. Moving from instability to stability requires shifting from a reactive mindset to an empathetic one, meaning that we understand each situation as it arises. This involves training in awareness by practising techniques to soothe the nervous system.

I’d like to say meditation is enough, but it’s not; we need practical observation, rather than superficial mimicry.

Becoming stable, we learn to side step the mechanicalness of mimicry with a smile, lest we become infected.

True stability isn’t about being rigid or antisocial; it is the ability to connect deeply with others (if they’re receptive), without losing steadiness to the emotional or social script.

Meditation is not enough.

We need practical observation,
rather than superficial mimicry.