"How do you become an adult in a society that doesn't ask for sacrifice? How do you become a man in a world that doesn't require courage?" (xiv)
Sebastian Junger is one of the most hardcore field journalists alive, and probably ranks among the all time greats. I've told people for years that if they want to read about my war, they should read his book about it - War - and watch the accompanying documentary film, Restrepo. I'm absolutely adding Tribe to my suggested reading list, not to learn about my war, but to learn about coming home from it.
Junger is probably known most among the general public for being the author of The Perfect Storm, a historical nonfiction account of fishermen trapped offshore during a hurricane, which was optioned for film before it was even published. Tribe, published in 2016, is not a particularly long book, nor is it difficult or expensive to acquire - used copies are available from various online retailers for as little as $5, including shipping. A reasonably proficient reader could consume it in an afternoon, although properly digesting the message is something that will likely take time.
"The beauty and the tragedy of the modern world is that it eliminates many situations that require people to demonstrate a commitment to the collective good. ... An urban man might go through his entire life without having to come to the aid of someone in danger - or even give up his dinner. Likewise, a woman in a society that has codified its moral behavior into a set of laws and penalties might never have to make a choice that puts her very life at risk. What would you risk dying for - and for whom - is perhaps the most profound question a person can ask themselves. The vast majority of people in modern society are able to pass their whole lives without ever having to answer that question..." (59)
Junger uses personal experience, historical and academic research, and decades of interviews with veterans, wartime civilians, doctors, and subject matter experts to forcefully, undeniably, and thoroughly support the same conclusions that I and my small circle have arrived at through our own mulling of the topics.
"Two of the behaviors that set early humans apart were the systematic sharing of food and altruistic group defense. ... The earliest and most basic definition of community - of tribe - would be the group of people that you would both help feed and help defend. ... Soldiers experience this tribal way of thinking at war, but when they come home they realize that the tribe they were actually fighting for wasn't their country, it was their unit. It makes absolutely no sense to make sacrifices for a group that, itself, isn't willing to make sacrifices for you. That is the position American soldiers have been in for the past decade and a half." (109)
Junger, S. (2016). Tribe: On homecoming and belonging. Twelve.