The Cult of Individualistic Independence

A lot of negative phenomena or trends happen not because there is a group of people actively pursuing the negative goal. No, it’s almost always as a result of the pursuit of something else that is thought to be as objectively good.

Being a person from Southeast Asia, but exposed and conditioned by Western influences, I have lived in strong communities but have always been shown that independence as an individual is something to be desired.

In retrospect, I realise that this aspiration forms what I can call as the Cult of Individualistic Independence. It’s the belief system that motivates people to not seek assistance from others, to focus on increasing their own capacities and productivity primarily for their own sake.

The ‘unintended consequence’? The erosion of social bonds that would have naturally formed from more interdependent living; the decay of strong communities with defined roles but interchangeable individuals in those roles; the increase of isolation as a natural result of fewer interactions as a result of higher ‘independence’ of individuals.

I am not speaking against introversion. Introverts can remain introverted while still being a member of a tightly-knit community.

Unlearning the falsehoods of this Cult will prove difficult, especially when modern (read: Western) society that less developed societies aspire towards have largely adopted this belief system. I don’t think it’s too late though.