Individualism vs Collectivism

Happy to think with you today. We can both agree that the proper answer is not 100% in either direction here. That being said, Let's bring some order to our thoughts. I'll address your specific ideas here, As best I can put Order to them. 1. "Individualism should be preferred to collectivism because it allows the person to build themselves up and understand their strengths and weaknesses without relying on the flaws of other people. " 1a. "building themselves up" When people are seeking to improve themselves, It is rare that they achieve this without a group. When people are trying to lose weight, For example, It is rare for them to do so without a support structure. The person in question would ideally speak to a doctor for physical recommendations and to set a goal. They would visit a nutritionist, Fitness instructor, Et cetera to help them do this. To think that the individual could achieve this without this support structure, Even without including other groups such as family, Or support groups, Is fair, But to say that they would be better off as an individual is not. Physically, Mentally, And Emotionally they are better off with these support structures. Intellectually, No one improves themselves far without the work of a collective. Is it fair to say it is an individualistic matter to study on one's own the books of people who came long before you while eating food harvested by farmers, Sitting in libraries funded by one's community, Being raised by one's parents? The majority of your intellectual progress and predispositions are given to us by our society. It takes a village to raise a child. 1b. "Understanding their strengths and weaknesses" In the above example doctors, Nutritionists, And fitness instructors helped our individual progress faster by giving them their experience and knowledge on their fields. How can one evaluate one's own strengths and weaknesses without bias without these things? I am a cellist. Students who try to learn to play on their own rarely understand how out of tune they are and how inaccurate their rhythm is without help. They could come to these understandings over time with critical evaluation. Few can achieve this, Which is why teachers are so important. 1c. "Without relying on the flaws of other people" It is important to find the right people whose advice to listen to. You can be misled. People can be flawed. By being a member of a collective, You can benefit from their experience and help them with their flaws. Some people do not want help with their flaws, Or do not see parts of themselves as flawed. That does not mean you are always better off as an individual. 2. "Other people will never understand you as much as you understand yourself. " Do you believe that you are so complicated that no one could possibly understand you? In general, Most humans are simple. If they do not understand you chances are that is because you fail to be open with them as much as you could be. Possibly, You cannot be as open with them as you wish to be for fear of reprisal. It could be you simply haven't found the right groups yet. If you search for groups, You'll probably find one that is a fit. If you fear reprisals, Search for the groups on the internet. Browse in incognito mode, Learn to hide your tracks. I lived in a family and had thoughts I could not express for this fear. For the knowledge that my family and friend had flaws. They would not try to understand my position. The internet freed me. I found my groups, Flawed as they were. 3. "No other human will ever care about you as much as you care about yourself. " Not true. Many parents will sacrifice themselves for their children. This is a timeless truth. I care more for my wife than myself. I give her the best food, Work hard to buy her what she needs. All of her things are more expensive than mine. I work for my daughter and get her what she needs. Men have died falling on grenades for their comrades. [1] This is not a rare event. Some people find purpose protecting the collective and have sacrificed an untold amount of times, Their stories never to reach our ears, To protect us. Caring for someone does not require a full understanding of someone. 4. "People simply can not understand every aspect of someone else" Why is this so important to you? If I have a discussion with my mother, Why does she need to know my innermost thoughts, Desires, And feelings, To care for me? Many mothers are simple. They live vicariously through their children. My own was like this. Her self confidence was destroyed by an abusive father early on and her whole life was lived to get away from him and make sure her children never had to deal with that. We were her pride and joy. It may sound narcissistic, But I am far more complex and intelligent than my mother. She could perhaps be what I was without her father's interference, But since she kept me safe from that and allowed me the freedoms I needed to find groups and to find my purpose, I advanced to care for ideas she will probably never care to think about. Understanding my concerns for AI, For existential risks our society faces, For the future of humanity, And for the denigration of intellectual discourse in this world (although some sources are more optimistic about this) is not a prerequisite to love and care for me. 5. "A group can't care for you mentally" You look solely at the negatives and few positives. Psychologists are in the practice of helping people who are critically disturbed. Many of these people develop insecurities and instabilities brought on them from themselves, Although it can be argued many come from society's views, The individual's mental and emotional strength can be improved by speaking to their groups. Friends, Family, Psychologists. These people have helped many, Including myself, Through rough times. Clinical Psychology as a field is more or less centered around an attempt to improve well-being for these people. 6. "A nation works to fix its problems not its people's problems. " That is false for every nation. It is only true in extreme circumstances where the few may be sacrificed to save the many. A nation's role is to provide stability and enact policies that best support society as a whole. You can evaluate nations many different ways. Let's cite a few. a. You can look at the weakest, Worst off individual in a society and judge the society by that. Perhaps best would be to analyze the life of the bottom 10%. The US would fail this test horribly, Yet some other countries pass it quite well. For myself, The measure of a society is in the wellness of its overall citizens. How many die of hunger? How many die from lack of access to doctors? How is access to education? Literacy rates? Infant death rates? Pregnancy deaths? There are many measures of a society. If your nation is not focusing on these, You are a member of a more 'individualistic' nation. You should recognize that these are "worse" nations, And that many people would be better off with more policies that focus on the collective. Capitalism in and of itself is a method nations use to improve the lives of their citizens when resources are scarce. While giving individuals the power to succeed, It also gives people the power to fail and can lead to violence. Socialism is the same. The correct way is a blend that gives everyone the best chance to succeed, And lets no one fail. Capitalists themselves cite that capitalism is better not because they themselves benefit the most from it, But that it works for all of society better. If your politicians don't prioritize all of the individuals of the nation, You might want to vote for different politicians, Or find a new collective. I'll end by saying that Collectivism has given us the internet, Has led to the downfall of superstition, To scientific progress, To medical progress. Individuals find more purpose inside the group. ------ 1. Https://en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/Falling_on_a_grenad