Every emerging idea, if not immediately crushed, enters the battleground for competing groups to structure. Do not underestimate this battle. It is not for feint souls. I am outside of current battles, but I see the struggles. 

It happened with the deconstructionist movement in the liberal arts. From an open and free discussion about non-traditional models, at least in academia, hierarchy quickly develops as to which authorities one knows well and can cite – or casually say that one is in touch with. The need for ranking of expertise is undeniable. 

Are you old enough to remember the back and forth about which should be the standard for videos, either Beta or VHS? The battle for hegemony for online platforms has somehow made room for two – Apple and IBM.  

The fight for dominance is happening now with the discussion of non-binary gender. Who is to determine which terms are correct? The need for ‘standards’ is so profound in our nature that we seek them wherever new amorphous movements arise. Chaos absolutely attracts structure and, perhaps more importantly, structures. The human mind seems predisposed to form the unformed. Even explorations of our awe are guided by movements, religions, traditions, and newly created directions too numerous to count.  

As one of those who has a ‘new view’ – in my case, for developmental theory – I stand back in apprehension at the battle ahead. How does one get the needed attention? From whom? And at what cost? I feel like a tiny bird trying to position myself, requiring lots of baby-bird muscles – to catch the worm dangling from my mama bird’s mouth. I would love for my mama bird to see my excellence and bring the worm close to my gaping mouth. But that is not how nature works. If I want the worm, or the warm mammalian milk, or the parental attention, or the professional recognition – and I am among multiple siblings (there are always multiple siblings) then I must position myself with effort – and at the expense of other hungry beasts. 

And identity is not just about our bodily needs. We know that. The hunger I am talking about here is the comparable hunger for recognition of one’s concepts – perhaps even one’s virtual identity. The search for position is humongously human. It amuses me to sit in meditation with a group seeking spiritual solace and hear the bit of guilt about not being spiritual enough, or the competition (it can’t be helped) about who might be the most spiritual. When humans are together, it happens. As they say ‘that’s life’.