Money stands for: let's see, women, men, security, insecurity, hard work, grunt work, haircuts, interesting work, movies, beliefs, children, the future, the past, like, dislike, constraints, myopia, great opportunity, possibility, status, sadness, cruelty, food, fine arts, communication, miscommunication, instinct, love, altruism, self-hate. And more.
Society stands for perhaps even more things. But always remember, whether one likes it or not, society has stood and will always stand for the anti-social and the non-social - in short, resistance against the very idea of society. Society is a multitude of things. You can't let it take over the world, let alone your life - YOUR life! And that, is also a "social" statement, you see. The message is this: Don't let society decide for you. YOU decide. YOU choose. Society stands for YOU, partly, but only partly. Society is not YOU, and YOU are not society. The two do not perfectly overlap, and that's perfectly normal. Oh, please!
I think the thesis of this post sounds rather American, or more specifically, Objectivist. And personally, I can't agree more, but this may not always be possible depending on one's circumstances such as the societal culture and political system one is living in.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true, and yes, thank you for pointing out the post's probably-American-inspired bias. But at the same time, even individualism can be societally prescribed or coerced. Compri says: down with peer pressure! And I might add that peer pressure is often just delusional. Role models, exemplariness, "common" goals...they make Compri very anxious. It is so easy to lose sight of this, but there is a part of your heart, wherever you may be, under even the most totalitarian of circumstances, that is capable of remaining completely autonomous. If you do lose sight of this, even for one minute, then you really get eaten up. Some people are fine with it. Some might even enjoy it, or worse, they might enjoy watching others get eaten up. But Compri does not.
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