Clan: (n) a close-knit family

If you love them who only love you, you’re no better than a common jackass.

This was a sentiment from a man who lived 2,000 years ago, discerning that loyalty to a single clan, or a family unit, can be despicable if the
same mercy and tenderness is not extended to the world at large.

There are sinister attempts to make our personal families more important than others, glorifying that decision by making it sound noble.

The institution of clans is the beginning of clan warfare.

Clan warfare is the welcoming of national struggles.

And national struggles lead to world wars.

Here’s the truth of the matter:

I love my children but they’re not better than other people’s children.

And even if I get misty in my eyes when sharing affection for my sprouts, this does not make me spiritual or a better daddy. It makes me short-sighted, selfish and possibly bigoted.

So I will talk to you of the glory of my brood, and listen as you extol the beauty of yours. But at the end of our conversation, may we chuckle and admit to one another that it’s all meaningless…if we don’t adore the whole human clan.