I had no internet access at my hotel unless I wanted to play $15 a night for it, so the rest of the parts of this story have to be continued piecemeal. For instance, this.
+ + +
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| The view from the backseat. |
Thursday,
July 30th, 2015.
2:39 p.m.
The backseat can be revealing.
I’m
in the backseat of a Volkswagen Somethingorother, on my way to Indianapolis,
Indiana, to attend Gen Con for the first time. 6 of us will be staying in a
single hotel room, but the hotel is attached
to the convention center at the center of everything. This is going to be a
huge, raging weekend of gaming, both tabletop and RPGs, for me.
I’m
going to meet people I may never see again. I’m going to find out about new
games coming out in the next year that I may never play. I’m going to miss out
on a lot of things that I might like to see or experience, simply because there
are only so many hours in the day. But mostly, I’m going to get a huge
GeekHigh.
Community
is a huge thing for me. I love being a part of a group of people. I thrive in
the camaraderie of others, the gathering together under one unified purpose,
whether it be a concert, conference, or convention. I love social gatherings,
and I always want to build on the gathering with new people.
That
being said, I don’t care to gather with people that don’t have the same
interests as me, or that I have nothing in common with. It’s frustrating,
because I hate nobody. I’m wired, however, to engage more with people of like
mind or like interest.
Before
I left, my wife asked me, “Are you nervous about riding in the car 4 hours with
people you don’t even know?” No, I wasn’t. These guys and I, while relative
strangers, have something in common – the love of The Game.
We
just had lunch at Steak n’ Shake in Effingham, Illinois, and while I can’t
stand driving into that town (I’ve worked too many 7-hour wedding receptions there), I enjoyed the time we were there because I was connecting with new
kin.
Maybe
there’s someone that will be at this convention that is completely on their
own, and really desires to be connecting with someone, anyone, because they
have nobody at home they feel like they can connect with. I hope that’s not the
case, but the reality of this hobby and the people who love it is that it is
highly likely a loner will be milling about with no one to engage him or her.
Maybe it’s a social anxiety thing, or perhaps they’re introverted and are
uncomfortable with the initial meeting.
Everyone
deserves to connect on a common level with someone else. We all need community,
fellowship, with others. Finding others in your Tribe, no matter how big the
Tribe may already be, cements in our hearts and minds that we’ve chosen the
right people, and gives us a sense of belonging on a larger scale that being a
part of a family ever can. The Tribe becomes the new family.
 |
| Tribal HQ. |
Yesterday,
some random person on Facebook said that he was planning on selling many of his
games because he and his children were going to be homeless in a matter of
days, and he needed to make some kind of arrangement for a new place to live.
In a time like that, it doesn’t really matter what the circumstances are behind
him losing his home (relationship split, eviction, whatever). In that moment,
you feel for the man because he’s got children, but more so because he’s one of
you. I don’t give money away to just anyone who needs it, but I felt compelled
to send him a few bucks. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I didn’t even
want one of his games – I figured when you’re trying to secure a place to live,
the last thing you need is to go through the hassle of boxing up and mailing
merchandise.
I
can’t tell you why I felt emotionally connected to this man in that moment,
except that I knew he was a part of the Tribe.
We
should all have a Tribe. Christians have a Tribe, but so many of us don’t
understand this concept. So many of us don’t live by it.
We
don’t help those in need, even within our own circles. We say we’ll pray for
someone, but we won’t stop what we’re doing and actually pray for them right then and there. We shake our head
because we can’t imagine being in that person’s situation, but we don’t do
anything practical to help them out of their situation. We think that because
what they really need is a miracle of God, then whatever thing we're able to do won’t
even measure up.
How
small-minded we can be! Every little thing you do matters. It matters. Big, small, once, ongoing, it
doesn’t matter.
If
sites like Kickstarter, IndieGogo, PledgeMusic, and the like have taught us
anything, it’s that hundreds of people coming together to give small amounts of
money can make great things happen en masse. They just beak it down in small,
bite-sized chunks. Can’t invest $500 into our company? No problem. For $15, you
can get this new album before anyone else. For $35, you can get this game. For
$100, you’ll have creative input on this project.
It’s
democracy in financial form, and it happens through community. It happens
through involvement of the Tribe. We all want to be a part of something, so why not be a part of
something we like? Something we love?
Find
your Tribe. Then invite others in. Give to a cause. Serve in your church. Put
on some boots and work gloves and make something happen for somebody else.
There Is No Box.
Zach
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