In “Thinking as a Hobby”, William Golding (that dude who wrote “Lord of the Flies”) proposed three types of thinkers. Grade-three thinkers represent 90 percent of the population. These people are docile. They follow orders and obey other people’s wishes. They never learn to think independently and cannot distinguish truth from lies. Grade-three thinkers attributed with prejudice, ignorance, and hypocrisy, and use emotions to guide their actions. They do not seek to learn about the world, nor do they seek to change it.

Grade-two thinkers who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. According to Golding, “They destroy without having the power to create” (page 4). For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions, but they fail to find new ideas to believe in. The remaining 1 percent of the population is what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption but also know how to seek the truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom, and knowledge. Such thinkers are “creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art, and science” (page 6).

It is unlikely that any of us will become grade-one thinkers as humans are torn between the idea of confronting their government and the desire to adapt and survive. We cannot be truly free while we live in the society. Our parents and teachers claimed that we have an exciting and bright future ahead of us. They told us that America is a land of opportunities and we can achieve our dreams and fulfill our “purpose”.

However, nobody has ever taught us to think critically and independently. It is not favorable for our educational system to produce students who can question what they see and do not follow the crowd. This is the skill that can only be acquired through self-education and skepticism. We are anticipated to act in accordance to the social expectations rather than to pursue our own dreams. Those who become critical thinkers will have the world at their fingertips; the rest of us will “make compromises, find excuses, someone or something to blame, and hold that over our hearts like a pendant on a chain” (J. Fitch).

The biggest problem in the modern society is a tendency of becoming selfless and insecure. The reason why you cannot be happy is because you care about other people, their feelings, and opinions. Everybody is looking at each other and constantly searching for weakness. People were so scared of collectivism that they united through mutual hate and despise. What else politicians and other manipulative structures are suppose to do with a society that is built on hatred and judgments?

Building a wall, banning firearms, or deporting immigrants will not solve any problems and will not make America great. Given the principle that each individual has an ultimate right over himself, his ability to cooperate depends on finding a social system that respects each individual’s rights. Instead of denying the importance of community, individualism lays the groundwork for creating societies that are truly responsive to the needs of the individuals who make them up, without intruding on that very individuality that makes society desirable (Sandefur).

Individualism is a moral, political or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty (“The Basics of Philosophy”). In short, individualism opposes that tradition, religion or any other form of external moral standard should be used to limit an individual’s choice of actions. It is important to realize that an individualist does not have to be an egoist; individualism allows a person who lives in a society to learn and discover what his or her own interests could be, instead of blindly following the interests of a societal structure.

As H. Brands contended, “American dream” was transformed from the vision that each person could enjoy a stable, agricultural community life to the vision that each person could set out on his own and strike it rich. “The new dream held out the hope that anyone could have what everyone wants: respite from toil, security in old age, a better life for one’s children”.

The truth is that individualism laid the grounds for traditions of American life. On a societal level, the individualist participates on a personally structured political and moral beliefs. Independent thinking and opinion is a common trait of an individualist. I am not arguing that selfishness is inherently good. Rather, I think that individuals are not duty-bound to any socially-imposed morality, and that individuals should be free to choose to be selfish or not (“The Basics of Philosophy”).

A balanced society consists of self-centered citizens who do not hold judgments against each other due to the level of their personal fulfillment and completeness. The point is, most of us struggle throughout our lives by caring about situations that should not be cared about. We get offended about the rude gas station attendant who gave us too many nickels. We get angry when our favorite show was canceled on TV. We get annoyed when our friends don’t bother asking us about our awesome weekend (Manson).

Most importantly, we care about things that are being said about us and take it close to the heart. People have to realize that whether or not life has a meaning, nothing in this universe matters, nothing is permanent, and we all are going to die. Stop stressing about things do not matter and focus on what's really important to you. That way failure would be less terrifying, rejection less painful, and unpleasant memories more pleasant.

Eric Hoffer once wrote: “A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.” An individual should act in his own self-interest, but make no claims about what anyone else ought to do. This theory is called Personal Egoism.

The truth is that human beings are distinct by nature. We are separate beings, each with his own body and his own faculties necessary to his own existence. We are not in any way metaphysically attached or dependent on one another as each of us must use his own mind and direct his own body (Biddle). You can be gay, vegan, transgender, or wear a Confederate flag with pride and it should not concern anybody but yourself; it does not matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or believe in Flying Spaghetti Monster. Your self-esteem and self-confidence should never be correlated to how others perceive you. Developing the ability to stop caring about people and their opinions is the essence of strength and integrity.

“I am myself; you are yourself; we are two distinct persons, equal persons. What you are, I am. You are a man, and so am I. God created both, and made us separate beings. I am not by nature bound to you, or you to me. Nature does not make your existence depend upon me, or mine to depend upon yours. I cannot walk upon your legs, or you upon mine. I cannot breathe for you, or you for me; I must breathe for myself, and you for yourself. We are distinct persons, and are each equally provided with faculties necessary to our individual existence. In leaving you, I took nothing but what belonged to me, and in no way lessened your means for obtaining an honest living. Your faculties remained yours, and mine became useful to their rightful owner”.

Letter to Thomas Auld, September 3, 1848, in Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings (Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 1999).

Although it is true that individuals in a society can exchange ideas and learn from one another, the fact remains that the individual, not the community, has a mind; the individual, not the group, does the thinking; the individual, not society, produces knowledge; and the individual, not society, shares that knowledge with others (Biddle). Let me put it for you in a perceptive. Here is a sketch I drew during one of my psychology lectures:

This is our life. As you can see, our own life is represented by a solid line that has many additional branches. No matter what decisions you make or what paths do you take, the outcome is the same — death. It goes for a person who is next to you and the rest of 6 billion people on this planet. You build your own line. Yes, other people can come into your life, however, whether they stay or not, your personal line keeps going. Stop searching a greater meaning in everything, as things don’t happen for a reason, and stop trying to become best friends with strangers. Everything changes, and we cannot allow it to influence us from building a bright future for ourselves. Upon the realization that our life has no special purpose or meaning, you can take the roads less traveled.Whether you like it or not, we are born and die alone. Other people, their emotions, fears, and worries are fragments of others and are not part of you. No matter who you are, you will always do the right thing as it is your personal and own way to live. Antonio Machado once said, “by walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again”. Life isn’t complicated; you make it complicated.

I am not telling you how to live your life; maybe you find enjoyment in arguing with stupid people or telling all your friends how great it is to be a vegan. However, for those who are open-minded and willing to learn about different perspectives of life, I hope you enjoyed this article and, furthermore, I hope you will consider to research individualism and personal egoism concepts on your own. In summary, if you want to change the world — change your perception of the world first. Sharing your opinion on the social media, getting angry about yet another mass shooting, or even voting will not solve anything. Understand that you’re not special and stop paying attention to other people and their opinions. If you do not agree with anything I said and will keep send prayers to the victims of terrorism, here are the recent ones that you might have missed in light of the YouTube HQ shooting (#prayforYouTube?). You can start with them:

• Rocket attack in Syria: At least 44 people, most of them women and children, were killed when terrorists attacked with rockets on a busy market in Damascus. 35 others were wounded in the attack (The Associated Press).
• Suicide bombing in Afghanistan: A suicide bombing near a Shiite shrine in Kabul killed at least 33 people and injured 65 others as Afghans celebrated the Persian New Year (Doucet).
• 2018 Ouagadougou attacks: 30 people were killed and 85 wounded in terrorist attacks on the French embassy and cultural center in Burkina Faso and the country’s army headquarters (Associated Press).
• Shooting in Democratic Republic of Congo: Twenty people were killed in several attacks in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 15 others were reported missing after the attacks and probably kidnapped by the attackers (RDC).
• Another suicide car bombing in Afghanistan: At least 20 people were killed and 55 more injured in a suicide car bomb attack at the Ghazi Muhammad Ayub Khan stadium during a wrestling match in Lashkargah, Afghanistan (BBC).

***

References

• Associated Press. “Deadly Attacks by Extremists Strike Burkina Faso Capital.” NY Daily News, 3 Mar. 2018, www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/world/deadly-attacks-extremists-strike-burkina-faso-capital-article-1.3850648.
• BBC, “Car Bomb Targets Spectators at Afghanistan Wrestling Match.” BBC News, BBC, 23 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43519692.
• Biddle, Craig. “Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice.” The Objective Standard, www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2012-spring/individualism-collectivism/.
• Doucet, Lyse. “Kabul Sakhi Shrine: ‘Dozens Dead’ in New Year Attack.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43484206.
• Doctrine — The Basics of Philosophy. Individualism — By Branch , www.philosophybasics.com/branch_individualism.html.
• Manson, Mark. “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.” Mark Manson, Infinity Squared Media LLC, 27 Feb. 2018, markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck.
• “RDC : 20 Personnes Tuées Par Les Présumés ADF à Beni.” Radio Okapi, 7 Mar. 2018, www.radiookapi.net/2018/03/07/actualite/securite/rdc-20-personnes-tuees-par-les-presumes-adf-beni.
• Sandefur, Timothy. “Individualism, Political and Ethical.” Libertarianism.org, www.libertarianism.org/encyclopedia/individualism-political-ethical
• The Associated Press, “Syrian Market Assault Leaves 44 Dead, One of Deadliest Damascus Attacks in Years.”Thestar.com, 21 Mar. 2018, www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/03/21/syrian-market-assault-leaves-38-dead-marking-one-of-deadliest-damascus-attacks-in-years.html.