Every July 4th we in the United States celebrate our independence from England but for someone like me who sees the whole point of nations is to empower and protect the individuals within them, this is one especially bright day amongst every day of the year that we should honor the individual. So this week I see it as appropriate to discuss what this blog is all about and that is mostly, need I repeat it, the individual.
What I've Written So Far
I write about many things at 3PI Eddie Fontaigne, politics, fiction writing, ethics, but mostly individual liberty. That's what usually gets my dander up and also what tends to tie into all the other subjects. I might even argue that much of what life is about is being an individual defined separately from any collective, of course a good one who helps other individuals in their own life's-quests, and who try not to hinder others in this same quest.
Common Questions
Some of my fellow Christians may wonder how I fit that into my faith, and I will tell them it's quite easy in fact. Christ didn't come to establish a relationship with a person's community, He came to establish a relationship with that person. He already has a relationship with every community in the same way any of its members do. He didn't need to become a man and die for our sins in order to do that. He is after all omnipresent. His coming was about individual relationships and all the collectives that were and will be involved are so because they happen to be there. We are to go and teach all nations because that is where the individuals are.
Another similar question from some of my fellow travelers in academic circles is how I fit strong individualism with being a Christian and a traditionalist. Once again it's not hard at all. Christ's church as He and the apostles speak of it is made up of individuals who's only necessary commonality is that they have a positive relationship with Him. Many books of the Bible are radical documents in that they emphasize individuals over collectives, and those that don't share this emphasis don't contradict it. If you don't believe me, try reading any part of the Bible that you are told emphasizes collectivist oriented things like social justice or holy nations, then read them through and in context. You will inevitably come across something addressing individuals who will be blessed or cursed in spite of and not because of what their communities are or are not doing.
I'd recommend Habakkuk and the Beatitudes as a great examples of my point.
In Habakkuk God is speaking of the punishment he will bring upon the nation of Israel. The social justice crowd of today love to point out how Israel is being punished because so many of its rich had neglected laws designed to help the poor and needy, but they of course miss the meaning of the part where God speaks of blessing those who have been obedient and merciful. The meaning isn't obscure at all, and it is that individuals are accountable for their own individual character, not that of some collective they happen to be a part of.
Then in the Beatitudes Jesus lists one statement after another promising blessings on individuals with good character, ultimate though not necessarily contemporary blessings, but blessings for all the traits one can only rationally ascribe to individuals, not collectives. I think you'll see why I believe the Bible is a very radical book both for the times it was written but for today as well.
Tradition in general is also something I easily associate with strong individualism, and that's because traditions are, when they're practical, very practical, and many of the ones seen as impractical are often later to be found as practical. That practicality makes them things individuals can empower their own quests with, as they choose or don't choose. The point of individualism isn't to just be different for the sake of being different. It's to be different in whatever way one seeks to maximize one's value to others.
"Value to others?", one might ask. Yes. If the only thoughts you can afford is about getting food, finding shelter, and reproducing, you may as well be living the life of a single-celled organism. Just to have the time and opportunity for individual expression requires help and cooperation from others. The difference between an individualist and a collectivist is in where one seeks to concentrate the power and the benefits of a community. The collectivist seeks to empower the collective while the individualist seeks to empower every individual they may come across. Another way of saying it is in terms of tools. For the collectivist the individual is a tool that serves the collective. For an individualist the collective is a tool that serves the individual. Getting back to the point, all individuals can only be empowered if we serve each other, and in serving each other, if we do it to empower individuals, each individual, so benefiting, has the best chance to benefit others.
3PI (third person individualism) in other words. Individualists cherish the individual liberty and dignity of other individuals, for to do otherwise would be hypocritical. Communities made of 3PI individualists are synergistic. Each individual is better off, having greater freedom to be themselves and make their own decisions.
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