Human beings, in the main, are herd animals. We congregate in groups, whether they be called clans, tribes, gangs, communities, orders, associations, leagues or just a couple of friends enjoying each other’s company. Most of us enjoy a very strong sense of belonging to some group or another, often more than one at a time.
We have our families, our schools, workmates and sporting groups. Then there is our broader community and of course our nation. Man has scratched the itch of belonging since he first shared a cave with other humans. The group afforded each member a better chance of survival, protection and a share of the food hunted and gathered by all.
Is it no wonder then that we find it desirable to belong to a group of like-minded people? Each of us has the innate urge to belong, to congregate and to merge with others. In ‘Witness’, John Book, the hard bitten Philadelphia detective, discovers that desire to belong, even when the group is as opposite to his own as the Amish are to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Rachel Lapp also has a very keenly developed sense of identity forged by her belonging to the Amish. It is as if the ‘eccentricities’ of this group heighten who she is and who she is most comfortable being amongst. Before she left for Baltimore to visit her sister, there were some humourous remarks made about how loose and modern the Mennonite community that Rachel’s sister married into, have become. Compared to the Amish of Lancaster County, the Mennonites are indeed not so ‘plain’ (which is what ‘amish’ means) as their Amish cousins.
This suggests that not only do different groups attract different types of people as members, there are also degrees of difference to take into account. While they may seem virtually identical to outsider’s eyes, to the initiated the Amish and the Mennonites are like chalk and cheese. Yet both groups consist of people who are totally committed to belonging to that group, even when the main requirement of membership is to adhere to a rigid code that most of us would not even begin to find attractive let alone obey.
While some may find membership of extreme groups satisfying, even stimulating, the reality is that we all need to belong. Why do some choose to wear leather jackets and denim jeans, ride large, loud motorcycles and spend entire weekends at drunken parties? How come there are men and women who feel fulfilled in their lives only when they are cloistered away in some remote monastery or convent, living a life of chastity and poverty? The common denominator is the strong sense of belonging they have. By belonging to the group of their choice they believe their lives have meaning and purpose.
A life without meaning or purpose; or perhaps without good meaning and purpose, is a wasted life. In ‘Witness’ this idea is represented by the murderer McFee and the crooked Chief of Police, Schaeffer. Both belong to the same group Book calls his own, the police. The point is made that groups are made up of many, disparate peoples. Not all those in a ‘good’ group such as the police are good, just as not all those in a ‘bad’ group (such as a bikie gang) are bad.
The Amish are also shown to be very human, experiencing the same emotions and temptations as any human being and not always dealing with them completely as their group rules dictate. Each and every one of them though, belongs. They know who they are and where they stand in their community and their lives. The barn raising demonstrated how they contribute to the group as well as how they draw from the group in times of need. Not only is a sense of belonging desirable, it is also beneficial.
There have to be benefits in belonging to a specific group. It is what attracts us to the particular group we join. Book enjoyed the sense of pride and camaraderie that went with being a policeman. The Amish characters have known no other life but the Amish life and they feel protected, needed and of use within their community.
In the climactic scene of the movie, Book is cornered by Schaeffer and it appears his luck has run out. This is when the power of the group is demonstrated. Samuel, Rachel’s son, runs to the farm’s bell and rings it. From all the surroundings farms, Amish come running. Amish farmers and their wives and children all respond to the alarm. All come to help one of their own in time of trouble and danger. Schaeffer, surrounded by unarmed Amish, realises he can’t kill them all. He can’t kill Book and escape. He has no choice but to surrender.
The power of the group, the true power of belonging, is shown in this scene. This then is why human beings feel so strongly about belonging to a group. There are responsibilities, but the benefits far outweigh these. In times of peril, someone who belongs is no longer alone, no longer facing the trials of life by themselves. They have the combined power and strength of the group. Wanting to belong to such a group; having a strong sense of truly being a worthwhile part of such a group, is a very positive, productive emotion to have. Schaeffer recognised this but he could never experience it because he was so focused on his own existence. He had no time for others and so he had no way of benefiting from any such affiliation.
Perry Gamsby is a free lance writer and web content publisher based in Australia. He holds a Master of Arts in Writing as well as tertiary qualifications in teaching and small business management. He is currently writing for Best Baby Bottles and bases his cyber self at his writing shop, eWriters Shop Online Content
Critical Mass Bike Ride, Philadelphia September 2007
