Saturday, January 24, 2015

INDIVIDUALS VERSUS COMMUNITY

The fight between individualists versus community is a conflict as old as humankind is, in fact, it is bestial, which means it is innate, yet many people seem not capable of putting this in perspective. How many people do you hear taking about how they like community, which is government? In contrast, it is usually the declaration of individuality that comes roaring to the surface, which, I assume, means the innate feeling of the biological correctness of self-preservation is dominant over that of group preservation. The bold individualists are also the ones who want to own guns because they can. These people hate government (community) and say they do not like being told what to do. No one likes someone else telling them what to do but we know that in a community of seven billion people order is mandatory just as in a family. Biologists have argued for years about natural selection being the providence of the individual with a solid group believing group selection plays a part of group survival as well. An individual fighting for life in any number of circumstances is commonplace as it the case of a soldier who is willing to fight and to die for his or her country. However, when we extend this simple concept to politics it becomes something we cannot understand.

I had a recent dust-up with a person who commented on and article published in the Personal Liberty Digest, a bastion of individualism. I enjoy poking fun at their authors. This fellow was crying about paying taxes with the old question, “Name a country that taxed itself in prosperity?” I answered,” America” and pointed out that I had affluence, wealth, opulence, luxury, good fortune, ease, plenty, comfort and security and this all came from my paying taxes, which is the Elizabeth Warren argument, “You didn’t build your business by yourself. You had help”  My protagonist didn’t hesitate to twist my words by saying he was tired of paying taxes so leeches like me could live the good life from all his hard work. He had no idea of who I am or how I earned my living; he automatically assumed I was on welfare of some kind —the 47%. This is exactly what happens in elections; hard working individualists assume liberals like me support the government (community), which is why we vote Democratic, and why many of them don’t vote but the few that do vote Republican.


The political battle between Democrats and Republican has become a battle between individualist and community, which is really a battle over distribution of money; should we or should we not do that. The success of individualist results from their focus on themselves. I, as a democrat, dilute my focus by wanting to see everyone flourish, which means no one suffers. I want to see the wealth of the nation distributed by salaries and taxes. We all benefit from paying taxes just as those of us who can work benefit from receiving salary but how many people do you hear about that acknowledges that fact. Individualist focus on themselves; they want it all for themselves, something you hear all the time. They want their salary but do not want to pay taxes to benefit the community, the group, the pack, the herd, or what ever you want to call it. Who is going to end up with the most in the end? Obviously, able-bodied Republicans will, which is the +Ayn Rand mantra; once I have mine the hell with everybody else. Both she and I hate cheaters, dishonesty, lazy people, etc as much as most run of the mill Republicans do. However, we as liberals end up winning because we are not willing to give up our humanity as she and +Reince Priebus, +Rand Paul, +Eric Cantor, and +Allan Greenspan were.    


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