05 Jul Opinion: Individualism is Selfish AF

You know what I’m talking about when I say today’s world is all about ME ME ME. Individualism has spawned an outlook where everything needs to be all about one’s self because you “have the right to do what I want”, right? People throwing others under the bus for a promotion, tearing each other down to boost their own ego and protect their insecurity, and manipulating people into buying sh-t they don’t need just to make more money so you can buy more sh-t you don’t need. My friends, this outlook derived from selfishness is exactly how our world landed in the situation it’s currently in.

Missing Community

Our world use to be heavily community based. This was because we needed each other to survive and thrive in this sometimes difficult world. Each person had their unique talents and strengths, and when we all came together to work together, we built a better situation for everyone. The community was connected through shared values which allowed people to better get along with each other and be more on the same page in terms of what needed to be done. Those values provided purpose and a guiding light for the path each person needed to take.

A relevant example of this can be seen with family’s today. In the past, we had the community to lean on in bad times, share resources when needed, and even assist in helping to raise each other’s children. The responsibility of survival for your own family was shared amongst many people to lighten the load and provide balance in areas that you may not be able to provide your family yourself. It was a team effort, and we all know a team can get more done than a single individual.

Nuclear Destruction

Contrast this to today with the nuclear family, separated in silos and left to try to do all these things own your own. Going through bad times? You’re left to fix it yourself. Not enough money for the things you need to survive? Better get a second job. No time to properly raise and support your children because you’re working two jobs? Well you’re on your own and they’re probably going to get left to school or friends to support the children (often not adequate or ideal). We have moved from a logical community based social structure which is how we evolved, to an individual based structure which fosters selfishness and breeds more stress. The communities that supported us and values that guided us have died in favor of individualism.

Individualism Is Flawed

With individualism, it’s all about what we want and subsequently as a result, every man (or lady) out for themselves. Think about that, we gave up working together as a team with a shared load that produced less stress and more happiness, for the right to do it alone and struggle. That was clearly an emotional decision and not a logical one. A logical outlook would show that throughout all of human history, we have depended on each other. Early tribes and indigenous tribes of today understood that if they didn’t work together, they probably wouldn’t make it. They have a division of labor based on biological strengths that allow things to work efficiently (hunters and gatherers). Everyone does what they are naturally good at, not whatever the hell they feel like doing at that moment. Individualism is all about the self, often at the expense of others. Personally, I’m not a fan and have yet to see this produce positive long term results for the world.

Bring Back Communities

One of the easiest ways to produce more joy in your life is to be involved in a community and giving to others. Ironically, the more you support and give to those in your community who share the same values, the more you get back. A lot of people will say otherwise siting that they tried to give to others or provide kindness and support only to be burned and stabbed in the back. Notice I mentioned above, “share the same values”. Providing this support to other’s who don’t share the same values isn’t supporting your community because it is not your community. It is someone else’s community and they value different things and have different social rules for what is okay to do and not okay to do. Spend more time finding your tribe. Share your values that you all connect with, and growing closer as a team to better support each other. It will pay off in dividends.

Selfishness Is The Problem

Selfishness is inherently an emotional approach. It is rooted in fear. Fear that we won’t get what we want or need, fear that we will lose what we want or need, fear that others will take what we want or need. It is weakness at its core and a path that leads to long term misery. It’s short sighted and never about long term survival, but about short term gratification. This type of behavior usually produces a short term win for the individual in exchange for long term destruction. In nature, this is called natural selection. It always seems like a good idea at the time.

The world has landed itself in a crisis of ever worsening climate, growing inequality, a focus of money over people, treating each other terribly, and a lack of hope for the future. It’s the only logical outcome for a system that rewards selfishness as in order to get what you want. That system usually requires you to get it at the expense of others. Again, short term win for a long term overall loss. People need to focus more on the big picture if we are to survive these ever mounting crises. A short term win for you have the perspective of “who cares, I got mine” is just digging your own grave.

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