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- Modern (Wellness) Tribes
You have to hold on to something to find meaning in life.
Until recently, urban tribes were perceived as collectives full of vices and bad reputations. Whether it was their tattoos, their music, their clothing, or their clashes with the neighboring tribe.
Contemporary urban tribes are no longer composed of gang members, but of wellness enthusiasts. Their tattoos, music, and clothing are much more delicate than those of their "bad" counterparts.
In both cases, these tribes form and find resonance because they provide meaning to life.
Members of a tribe share customs and traditions, and therefore, a sense of belonging occurs naturally.
Each tribe fervently believes that their "tribe" and corresponding philosophy is the best way to understand life. Sociologically speaking, members of "the tribe" are even attributed with a sense of superiority over members of other tribes.
Current Tribes
The British newspaper The Guardian described various urban tribes in weekly installments over three years. From cat lovers to passionate amateur political commentators, and of course, some of the most passionate wellness groups, such as diet gurus, skincare obsessives, or spiritual retreat devotees. Catherine Bennet's work named Modern tribes concluded in 2017 but seems to have remained relevant.
Pantomima Full is a quite famous YouTube channel in Spain with 465,000 subscribers. They publish a set of videos each month, all of which parody different modern tribes. They mock phenomena such as podcasters, crypto fans, streamers, and of course, the wellness profiles that proliferate on social media, which generally seek to indoctrinate about doing Ironmans, being vegan, or waking up at 5 am.
With these sarcastic references, I would add just a few more tribes that I see are currently on the rise:
10,000 steps-crew: Motivated and tracked by their smartphones or smartwatches, they obsessively measure their steps. Reaching the symbolic figure of 10,000 steps signifies a productive and healthy day.
Keto-freaks: Embracing the advantages of eliminating processed carbs while achieving el estado de cetosis, Keto diet believers convince themselves through their recipes that they have found the path to well-being.
Ice-bathers: A very Instagrammable trend with scientifically proven benefits. I find it tempting, but just the thought of it gives me chills.
Fungi-adopters: Better known as micro-dosing psychedelics, it is becoming more than just a trend and transforming into a lifestyle. Microdosing is now a vital product in high-demand environments, designed to support depression-related issues due to its acclaimed ability to enhance focus. (I will document my micro-dosing journey soon.)
There is also protein evangelizes, detox juice prophets, mindfulness advocates, stationary bike enthusiasts, and many many more.
Beyond the jokes from my friends of Pantomima Full, these new urban wellness tribes are not a passing trend as a whole. They respond to a deep desire to transform their bodies and minds to achieve a state of well-being translated into physical or mental health. Just like being part of a group provides a sense of belonging to gang members, these other tribes experience the same. By sharing their practices and actions, they find motivation to continue.
Against it are the detractors who compete in the ideological either because they consider it absurd or dangerous.
Don't give a damn, si eres parte de cualquier tribu, tú síguele.
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