Find Your Tribe And Nerd On
I wonder where the word nerd comes from…
In high school it was obviously used to ostracize the members of the less athletically inclined lunch table. But what does it really mean? Band geeks, science nerds, meatheads, preps. To me these group terms all essentially mean the same thing. A bunch of nerds who finally found their tribes.
Sit tight, because in the next 1000 words I am going to convince you that everyone is a nerd and that being a nerd is awesome. Yes jocks, you too.
I mean what in the hell could possibly be nerdier than knowing the batting average of Albert Pujols? Knowing his batting average and his on base percentage. Duhh!
Yes I had to do a google search to figure out who Albert Pujols is, and no I did not know what OBP was until I made the search. But guess what? There are hordes of folks who know this information off the top of their head.
Why?
For the same reason that those so called science nerds spent their time discovering the various uses of Carbon in everyday applications.
Because it’s fucking interesting.
It just so happens that this particular group of sports nerds who found their tribe were a bit more socially validated initially. Arguably one of these pursuits is much more universally beneficial, ahem, but that’s beside the point.
Yes, I could care less about sports, but it’s fascinating to see how enthusiastic people get about it. And frankly it’s hilarious to read heated arguments about who sportsed the best in last week’s football game on my Facebook feed.
Point is, we are all nerds in some fashion. That’s what makes all this life stuff so damn interesting. We all have some sort of nerd level interest that makes us unique.
Therefore we should champion the nerd label and proudly claim this virtuous title as we seek out our fellow tribesmen. In fact, it’s necessary I believe to adopt our own particular brand of nerd in order to find our tribe.
Be The Nerd That Only You Can Be
Okay, here goes nothing…
Here I stand, a super duper nerd who can’t stop reading about electric cars, humanistic psychology, and how to find your calling.
Whoa! I did it. Boy that feels better.
Are these topics interesting to everyone? Hell no. But I love it, and that’s perfect for me.
Will some folks accidentally listen in on a conversation about finding your calling and suddenly curl their nose as if they just smelt a terrible fart? Absolutely, because maybe that type of conversation smells like fart to them. But I’m gonna keep gassin’ it up with my nerd talk anyway so plug your nose.
Have you ever been in one of those conversations where someone apologizes because they are worried that they are boring you with their nerd level interest in some obscure topic?
I have. I have also been the one who is doing the apologizing, and let me tell you, it’s not fun. And in hindsight, it is absolutely absurd to apologize to someone for their lack of enthusiasm for your interests.
If someone’s not interested, move on and find your tribe. Thank you, next.
Life is far too short to waste our energy trying to convince others that we are interesting and worthy of their time. It literally sucks the life force directly out of us as we try and please the whole world. The fact is, not everyone is going to understand you, like you, or want to be around you.
Fortunately, we don’t have to please everyone, and when we shift our attention to pleasing ourselves instead of the faceless masses, we inevitably find the love and connection that we so eagerly desired. We find our tribe.
Will I ever care about sports? Not a chance. Does it matter. No. Can I be polite? Yes. Can I be interested because I am interested in the person? Yes. Do I suddenly need to become adept at sports speak? No, because someone else will be there to pick up that conversation and run with it.
There will be an instant nerd merger between these sports tribesmen and then they will put on their favorite jersey and slam bud light.
I joke, and of course it’s a stupid overzealous stereotype, but it’s truly fucking beautiful because the nerds found each other at long last. And we all know that nerds of a feather flock together. “It’s science.”
But I do it too. When I’m with my nerds I love to talk endlessly about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and where we are as a society in terms of this hierarchical structure. And then we nerd speak facts and provide various references to other psychologists and great thinkers who shaped our world views.
Buncha Nerds!
We all saw it in our high school lunch periods, but we just didn’t recognize the beauty of what it actually was. People becoming who they truly are and learning to not give a crap about what others thought of it.
Seth Godin would say we were finding our tribes. He would also remind us that there are no tribes of normal.
I take that statement to mean that we simply cannot be understood by everyone. That we cannot be accepted by everyone. That normal doesn’t really exist.
And as I have come to understand this truth more prophetically in my own life I have also gained the added benefit of becoming ever more confident with my own particular brand of nerd.
What an invaluable process to endure. Because without this self discovery, this inward and yet somehow simultaneously outward expression of who we are, we have nothing.
“Know thyself.” It’s quite a simple expression, but the profundity of its infinite power to shape our lives is absolutely immeasurable if taken to the limits of its meaning.
In this particular context I hope that those two little words can accurately express my intentions of implanting the seed of self awareness, self acceptance, and the penultimate self love into your mind so that you may fully embrace the unique qualities that make you such an interesting nerd in your own right. Because I think this world needs a bit more courage in the nerd department. A revenge of the nerds if you will.
I encourage you to let your inner nerd shine forth and don’t you ever hold back on those nerd level interests that make you so damn unique. Beautiful. Perfect.
Find your tribe and nerd on. Be the nerd that only you can be.
