Tribes and Urbanization in Olden

Tribes and URBANIZATION

In olden days, if there were a place in the world where the rule 'might is right' was true and being practiced openly and brutally, it was within a tribe. The tribal culture was defined by this principle since the richest man in the tribe usually made all the decisions and exercises control over the people that he called 'his' people. But things have changed and so has tribal culture. In third world countries where small villages or remote areas still have tribal systems, the old rules may still be valid but tribes in the modern world are different. For example there are still some tribes present in the United States. You will find them in Utah and they are Native Americans who stick with certain customs and values but are not controlled by one person or family. These tribes are actually controlled by their traditions. They do not want to forsake the values of their ancestors and would like to teach their children the worth of those traditions. In villages, tribal culture has greater meaning and scope. Here you will find a judiciary system, which is rather primitive but is controlled by the tribal chief or some wealthy men from the tribe. This judiciary would work as the normal judiciary of the modern world, determining who did wrong and what punishment is suitable. As strange as it may sound, the people of those tribes actually have to abide by those decisions and if they raise a voice, they usually face dire consequences. This tribal judiciary system is called 'jirga' in Pakistan for example. But the jirga does not have any power in the modern urban world in Pakistan. In some recent cases, the jirga's rulings were severely criticized and the so-called judges of this system were arrested and punished for meting out brutal punishments.

In the urban world, life is completely different. The one principle that would define the modern world is "work hard, grow and succeed." People abide by this principle as large percentage of the population forms part of the workforce. Since change is an ever present and accepted reality, people do not abide by any particular old customs or traditions. More and more people are willing to experiment and grow instead of living in a stagnant system and this has resulted in the growth and change of the urban culture. The urban culture doesn't have a single characteristic that could define it but urban cultures around the world have some common traits. Economics and work are the main focus, customs and traditions are non-existent, religion is everyone's personal matter and law is not to be taken in one's own hands. Urban culture is more powerful and influential because it doesn't bind. It offers freedom and a chance to grow and become as successful as the next person. But these things are missing in many tribal systems around the world where the rich people would keep the poor down by various means to secure their superiority and might.