A Word On Individualism

Individuals. The word itself brings a sense of uniqueness. Something different. Something special. One. It singles out.

Who truly can be called an individualist? One who creates something new? One who brings new ideas? One who influences many? One who lives on his own terms? Or one who is a true and pure form of ego.

I would be lying if I say that I, in one brilliant moment, decided to write about a topic such as this. No. I got this idea when I was reading a book. Some of you must have read the book. Its The Fountainhead-Ayn Rand. The book is a war between an individual, a heroic soul, a creator versus the collective society of second handers. I shall continue to use the word used by the author as it truly sums up the character of the collective society.

Second handers, the people who live solely for the society. In true sense, a selfless soul. You may say "Why? Being selfless is a great virtue!". Yes, in its essence it does good for the general humanity. But in doing so, the individuals are being ground to dust. From the dawn of time, take Prometheus for example who brought fire from the gods and gave it to humans. What became of him? Tied down to a rock with his liver on a silver platter for the birds. Apart from ancient greek mythology, take any great scientist, intellectual, artist, individual. They have always been persecuted by the great society. Disdained, hated, belittled, pushed. Whether it be Newton, Aristotle, Plato anyone who has shown the desire to be different, to be above the masses, to excel, to reach the heights that others cant even perceive, they have been shunned by the collectives, the second handers.

I have pondered on this subject for some time. Not much. But definitely enough to give my own views. Who are these second handers I've been writing about? Let me give a clear picture. They are the people you meet everyday, the mediocre, the average, the people who live by what others perceive. Your Tom, Dick and Harry. They lay importance on their stature, outlook, position in the society. They do what is expected of them. I may be one. You. Or anyone. The masses as a whole. Do not be under the delusion that this would exclude kings, dictators, power hungry mongrels. They are the worst of all. For their entity is based on the people. Without the peoples attention they would be nothing. In sense the masses, society, the general public form the collective soul of second handers.

Why would these second handers hurt the individualist? These people who are trying to improve the world through their talents? For this first let me explain about individuals. They are the true and only form of self. They respect themselves beyond anyone else. They worship their work, their talent, their mind, their souls, which is theirs only. No man can think for the other. No one can eat for another. No one can sell their soul in place of another. They believe in themselves above anything. Some of you may call this nothing short of arrogance. But, what you must try to understand is that such people do not care what you may think. For them you are nothing but a part of the wall. I am a stone. The worlds a stage and they are the only players. There is no one else. We are all equivalents to stone, tree, soil, anything, but objects of their interest. They worship their work, their passion, their soul. They work to perfection, a perfection that is their perfection, not ours. They wont rest until they reach their standard of perfection. What you, I or anyone say or do is inconsequential to them.

Now, coming back. Why would the masses hurt these heroes? These people who bring creativity to the world? I could think of only one answer: Fear. Fear of change, fear of a different way of life, fear of the exaltation the creator would experience when he would complete his conquest. They do not want to accept novelty. They wont. The society tries to break such individuals. Many a time they succeed. But, you can break the person but not his soul, his soul is his work. Eventually the society accepts the work. It takes the gift. Its a never ending war. And only the brave survive.

The individuals who are the true and pure form of ego. Ego, the strong feeling of oneself. There is no one other than themselves. They live for themselves and themselves alone. The second handers, the true but not pure form of selflessness. These altruists who live based on the perception of the masses. So contradictory, I've delineated the hero, the stereotypical selfless soul as an egotistical maniac and the masses, the one usually considered the true form of selfishness as a selfless altruistic soul as the villain. The individuals here suffer, the masses bring the suffering. I do not know how many of you would agree to this point. But a true individual would bear all the pain in the world to see his work erected in this world. It'll be a tribute to himself, his mind, his talent, his soul. For which he can sacrifice anything.

In the end, for a true individual, it does not matter what the society does or says. He has his work and his mind and he'll work to his end. So, does it really matter Who here is the villain, who the hero?Who the evil and who the good? Does it matter whether the collective souls bring suffering to the individuals? Does it matter why? All we know is as long as such individuals are born, the world will always see a new dawn, a novelty which pushes men to move forward, a world where freedom is truly understood and respected.