You were born original, don’t die a duplicate said one philosopher. It was Voltaire who said man is born free but is chained by society as he grows up. Well, they both were right. A child is fed with many unnecessary things by many circles like parents, societies, religions etc. If a child is not fed with anything, it may flower into a completely different person with many possibilities but all those potential possibilities are greatly compromised by these circles who want the child to be in a certain way.
Whether it is society or religion which wants a person to be in a certain way is moved primarily by one thing: continuity. The society wants to continue through an individual, so does the religion. If an individual is really an individual in the real sense, the whole structure of society or religion will collapse. Therefore, no society or no organized religion will like any individuals to develop freely. They sense a real individual as a threat. All they want is a person who can join the gang so that he aids the continuity. That is one of the main reasons why reasoning is not encouraged in many societies or religions.
Having said all these, the idea of individuality if not properly handled can go loony. The idea of collectivism has the comfort of group. It always finds solace in the group but individuality doesn’t have anything to fall back on. So, extreme individuality can be a disease as well. Some great philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche who advocated individualism went berserk in their lives. It’s very hard to explain that. Individuality which aids in breaking all walls created by the society is great but if it creates more walls, it is worse.
Among the societies, traditionally the western societies especially after the renaissance have supported the idea of individualism whereas the Japanese and Indian cultures have always believed in collectivism. Both have succeeded in their own ways. It’s probably a unique combination of individualism and collectivism that can do well.
Whether it is society or religion which wants a person to be in a certain way is moved primarily by one thing: continuity. The society wants to continue through an individual, so does the religion. If an individual is really an individual in the real sense, the whole structure of society or religion will collapse. Therefore, no society or no organized religion will like any individuals to develop freely. They sense a real individual as a threat. All they want is a person who can join the gang so that he aids the continuity. That is one of the main reasons why reasoning is not encouraged in many societies or religions.
Having said all these, the idea of individuality if not properly handled can go loony. The idea of collectivism has the comfort of group. It always finds solace in the group but individuality doesn’t have anything to fall back on. So, extreme individuality can be a disease as well. Some great philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche who advocated individualism went berserk in their lives. It’s very hard to explain that. Individuality which aids in breaking all walls created by the society is great but if it creates more walls, it is worse.
Among the societies, traditionally the western societies especially after the renaissance have supported the idea of individualism whereas the Japanese and Indian cultures have always believed in collectivism. Both have succeeded in their own ways. It’s probably a unique combination of individualism and collectivism that can do well.
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