The lone wolf is a myth. No wolf can survive for long in the wild away from its pack. Similarly, the maverick, the solitary hero depicted in the old Marlboro cigarette commercial as the solitary cowboy, out on the range, with nothing but his horse, his gun, and the great blue sky as his companions, is romanticism.

In order to achieve anything of enduring value - building a structure, publishing a book, growing a business empire, or raising a child - we need to enlist the active cooperation of others. The only way this can be reliably achieved is by belonging to a tribe. This tribe can be a family, professional organization, religious group or coffeehouse circle. It may involve several tribal affiliations, but it cannot be done alone. This places us, as individuals, in an inherently vulnerable position from the get-go.

Occasionally, with inordinate effort and great luck, we can achieve a spike of success. However, these victories are usually illusory and short lived, as we ultimately find ourselves pulled down from behind.

Since the time of cave dwellers, the tribe has been the basis upon which any social structure is built. Even though we have evolved mentally, emotionally our progress is almost non-existent. Modern society is no less based upon tribes than that of our ancestors. The variations are more complex but the basic template is the same. Tribes come in many guises. They can be families, sports teams, political parties, religious cults, corporate elites, etc. The point being that all these manifestations are essentially the same in nature and conform to the same set of tribal rules.

The point being that in order for our success to be sustainable, it is imperative that we belong to a tribe. Not just any tribe. Ours must be the apex tribe, perched above all the others. In some cases, we inherit the tribe, in others, we join another, and finally, when that option does not present itself, we create our own.

An interesting example, in which tribes are created seemingly spontaneously, is the Viennese coffeehouse circle.

The number of students enrolled at the University of Vienna far exceeds the capacity of the lecture theaters. The result is that it is impossible for all students to attend each and every lecture. The solution to the problem was for the students themselves to form small groups from which one member would be designated to attend a lecture and provide notes to the others in the group. As these groups typically met in the local cafes, they became known as the coffeehouse circles.

Over time, the bonds formed between the groups' members became very strong, and remained so, well into later life. As individuals within the groups rose in prominence, they would pull their comrades up with them. Eventually these coffeehouse circles became the basis of nepotism in Vienna. Which coffeehouse house circle one belonged to was the greatest determinant of social and professional success in the society. This meant that for any ambitious young Viennese student, it was far more important to be in the right circle, than to have outstanding academic results.

The guiding principle that governs how groups form is: "like attracts like." Within any larger grouping of people, some trait is shared by a smaller selection of individuals, which draws them together. This is the exclusionary aspect. At the same time this distinction sets them apart from the rest - this then is the exclusionary aspect. This way of organizing is central to every social setting and can even be observed in the schoolyard. Those groups sharing qualities such as athletic ability for boys or beauty for girls form the higher caste in child society. Those sharing traits, which are valued less by the children as a whole, either find themselves on a lower rung on the social ladder, or ostracized completely. In most cases, whichever group one is connected to in childhood determines one's patterns of association in later life.

We all like to see ourselves as rugged individuals who can stand on our own two feet and stoically take what life sends our way. It is comforting to believe that we steer our own boat and are masters of our own destiny. At the same time we like to live well - it is not enough to merely survive, we wish to thrive. Yet who among us is ready to pay the price?