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Service for a Good Life- Participation and Individualism

  • Andre Paula
  • Oct 27, 2015
  • 3 min read

The planet houses over seven billion humans and trillions of other creatures. There has always been the belief that all living creatures work within contracts to sustain one another. The main thought in society is that humans should abide by this belief. According to Putnam, people should have the natural urge to contribute back in to society. The prevailing issue in participation these days is that adolescents are not participating anymore. In the past, clubs, organizations, and programs had a countless amount of members, a vast matriculation. Now a days, clubs are closing their doors:

“The Charity League of Dallas had met every Friday morning for fifty-seven years to sew, knit, and visit, but on April 30, 1999, they held their last meeting; the average age of the group had risen to eighty, the last new member had joined two years earlier…” (Putnam, 2000)

Adolescents are mutating in to individualists. With the upsurge in social media, young people do not participate as often. This could be the downfall to modern society.

Individualism. Seemingly, society has moved towards the self-concept of individualism. Individualism is the reason to why many adolescents are not joining clubs as often as the adolescents of the past would have. What is individualism? Individualism is the “one’s self” ideology, where every action is the result of a selfish act. For example, let it be stated that one wants to open the door for another being. Although opening the door for the other individual is courteous, opening the door for the other individual is expected to be reciprocated in some fashion. Apply individualism to any situation and the concept is realistic. Take for instance, the Dalai Llama as well. When the Dalai Llama eats food, he is being selfish. When the Dalai Llama commits a courteous act towards another individual, the Dalai Llama is being selfish because the Dalai Llama is committing the courteous act to feel a sensation of happiness.

Is individualism “bad”? Not necessarily, unless of course, an act is too selfish. Individualism is a biological instinct. There are trillions of creatures on this planet, but every creature is striving to survive. Without individualism, most creatures would have already perished. Individualism leads to an expectation of reciprocity, which in return, leads to a higher chance of survival. According to Tocqueville, “If men are to remain civilized, or to become so, the art of associating together must grow and improve in the same ratio in which the equality of conditions is increased”.

Individualism, reciprocity, and community are important in order for survival. The issue still lies in the fact that individuals are still not participating as often as individuals should be. As a matter of fact however, individuals are contributing to society at a rate of equivalency to the individuals of the past. Simply, people are contributing to society in different aspects. Take for instance, social media connects billions of people and allow users to voice opinions and share information, quicker than ever before. Individuals are committing reciprocity at a rate equivalent to the past. Overall, contribution to society has been and most likely will always remain the same for members of society. Clubs and organizations tend to wither away, as new clubs and organizations tend to rise; new clubs and organizations tend to be participated in different methods.


 
 
 

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