Every now and then, I have been reading about this online. Most of the influencers online always focus their messaging on "US vs. THEM". May it be any field or industry, we see this fight between groups, and some form of competition and debate keeps hitting my timeline. Then there are influencers, who always try to neutralize this fight and concentrate on the concept of "WE" to help everyone calm their nerves.

As a newbie to the internet, this was fun in the early 2000s, but now this constant fight is draining the essence of life and intellect. It seems like everyone has to choose a side to remain relevant in society. But why is it necessary? What is this driving force that is pushing us to keep engaging with such debates/ fights/ competitions? Is it something very new we are experiencing due to an overload of information or is it something that we have in our ancient lineage of humanity embodied in our DNA?

Let's rewind a little bit and examine, why this question is so relevant, very much necessary to be examined.

When Humans were not so human, living in caves, hunting and eating anything that moved, using signs and bird sounds to communicate, how did they survive? Was it a time of despair or adventure? They had no concept of US vs. THEM but they must be knowing, if they do not hunt, then someone else will hunt them down. This act of survival must have helped them to gather around a strong person and later made groups survive. This idea of survival through community is the essence of "US vs. THEM".

In modern times, as humans developed agriculture, complex machinery, currency, cities, religions, jobs, weapons, and theatres, the sense of community got bigger. Which, further developed sub-communities among communities. The sense of belongingness which is primal to the human psyche got an upgrade and now, everyone has evolved into a super being.

This idea of belongingness only gave humans enough fuel to fight for centuries and built the society we live in. Our stories are filled with such fights. May it be mythology or history. This idea, only shaped biggest epic wars like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Troy and many such wars in cultures around the globe. Same idea, ignited the fire to find the path of independence for many countries and fueled the long struggle they take pride in sharing. There were different camps in such long struggles but the goal of a free nation united them all against a common enemy.

Today, in a more connected and liberal society we see, virtual fights. Salman fans fight with Shahrukh fans, Tamil speakers fight with Hindi speaking community, Football fans fight on who is the GOAT, ECO warriors fight with old-timers, Trumpians fight with Biden camp (Sometimes literally), Modi warriors fight with Kejriwal supporters (Random CARs get vandalized), Crypto enthusiasts fight with Crypto deniers, flat earthers fight with alien theorists, and we read everything on Twitter to Instagram 24/7. The more we read, the more we align ourselves to the prefered group, which sounds reasonable to our preference, then we also start taking part in such conversations, which open more inroads to the world of unpopular social media activism.

This constant pushing and pulling from different camps keep society busy and growing. It's like gravity, which is necessary for the planet, stars, and the universe to function. We as humans have a conscience that is more like gravity and keeps attracting and detracting subjects/ communities from time to time. As a society, US Vs. THEM debate is necessary.

But one has to decide, which side they are choosing, there is not much difference between narratives in modern era. The community that looks like the the bully one day, suddenly becomes victim the very next day. Associating with a simple symbol like swastika, can make you a NAZI online. People will judge you for your choice of clothing, speech and silence too. There is no escaping this in the era of information.

The only way out is to be a part of this madness and remain in senses. Be kind enough to decide before expressing any emotion, and you'll be fine.