In America, we frame our ability to succeed in terms of our own skills and hard work. We are typically incentivized to win, to achieve the next big thing, to reach that next milestone, or even to become famous.
This constant competitiveness creates an ‘us vs. them’ mentality and makes us reward and idolize those we consider to have ‘made it’, while neglecting those that struggle.
For those who have made it, well, it’s been great for them. But meanwhile more and more of us are living paycheck to paycheck, increasing numbers of people are facing homelessness and more of us are becoming depressed, addicted and suicidal.
Individualist vs. Collectivist Cultures
We live in an individualistic culture – but there is another way to frame how we can live in our world. We could adopt more of a collectivist culture as many Asian countries do.
What would that look like? Take the movie Finding Nemo for example;
In Japan, in this movie, kids are told that Nemo shouldn’t have left the pack and that he should have valued the group over his own individual success.
In contrast, in America, young watchers are taught to celebrate the fish that leaves its pack to go out on his own.
Is one approach better than the other? That all depends….
If we are all competing to survive as individuals, a fish that leaves its pack could be celebrated for doing better, or worse than the others. However, if a collection or community of fish was in danger for example in the middle of a war, a natural disaster, or a pandemic? – One roaming fish could easily risk endangering the lives of all.
Applying individualism vs. collectivism to solve problems
When it comes to our environment, if we all focus on our own success we might not try to stop industries from polluting our food, water and air. This in turn results in rising cases of cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple chemical sensitivities, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, autism, and increased risk of dying from COVID-19.
In the aftermath of a tornado or earthquake, if those who have the means all leave, the community may struggle indefinitely.
When it comes to the pandemic, if we only focus on ourselves and throw all caution to the wind, then we could become a super-spreader.
In contrast, when we remember that that we are interconnected, and we strive to work towards the good of all, it makes our lives more meaningful. Countries and states that think more collectively have almost always fared better in epidemics than those with a more individualistic mindset.
When we work together, we are stronger.
How to make our world a healthier place
As a Holistic Healer, I regularly help clients who’ve been poisoned by toxins in our air and food. It’s frustrating that even though I can help them detox, I alone cannot protect them from our polluted air, food and water in the future. Similarly, whilst I can help clients heal from exposure to viruses, bacteria and parasites, I cannot prevent them from being infected in the first place.
But collectively, we can do something about this! We can fight for an environment that is safe for our children and future generations, for example we can support politicians and businesses taking measures to reduce the spread of Coronavirus and care for the environment. We can recognize that as human beings we are not designed to thrive alone.
If there is one thing the pandemic is trying to teach us, it is that the only way we can lower its impending threat, is to learn an important lesson: Individualism, or focusing only on our individual needs, to the exclusion of others, can be deadly. We must recognize that sometimes the best way to win is to help everyone else win too.
We are interconnected whether we believe it or not. The virus has been a reminder of that.
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Very timely article. Thanks.