A Culture of Individuality
If I were to choose something that is unique to the American culture as compared to other cultures, I would have to say that it’s that we are extremely individualistic. By this I mean that we place a lot of value on people figuring things out, getting things done, and getting them done on time.
No matter how many times we proclaim that there is no “I” in team, we try hard to make it on our own, and often find that even in groups of people we attempt to set ourselves apart and show that we are able to conquer the task ahead– often alone or with our small family units.
Look at our stories from our past, like Little House on the Prarie and Davy Crockett that glorify frontier living, a lot of space, and the individual that fights and wins over adversity. Sample the current trend of attempting to get viral Tweets or engagement with the focus on influencing others, and then turning around when that money-making area no longer works, but you sell it as it does
And let’s not get started on the programmer’s favorite looping variable.
But man was never designed to go this life alone. Try as he might, he usually ends up with a wife and kids, and we all know the people that “know a guy.” We were meant to be social, we were meant to be a team, and we were meant to encourage one another to do good and get better. It’s part of the design, where the first man not only had God himself, but God said that it wasn’t good for man to be alone and created woman.
It’s a feature, not a bug.
So cultivate those relationships around you. Get involved in people’s lives to their good and yours as well. Invest yourself in them, and reap the rewards of a full life. Reject the negatives of the culture of individuality and don’t let it rob you of a tremendous gift and blessing!
