Individualism is Hard

by Peter Saint-Andre

1998-09-01

Although I like to say that I am opposed to all organizations and groups, I have no objections to (loosely) coordinated activity among individuals, as long as the focus is on individuals, not the group. I think more and more that organizations take on a life of their own that stifles individuality, but I do think that when organizations are small enough they can be fairly individualistic. And loose networks are even more likely to hold onto an individualistic focus, although at some point they too will perhaps lose that focus. My friend David Ross likes to say "thinking is hard" -- well, I think that individualism is hard. People think "oh, individualism is easy, you just have to be yourself and let it all hang out". Not! There's a line in The Fountainhead that I've always liked, in which Peter Keating says to Catherine Halsey that the hardest thing in the world is to do what you really want. Right on, Peter!


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