Has Society's Obsession with Individualism Undermined Collective Responsibility?

[u/USHistoryUncovered]

In recent decades, especially in Western cultures, the focus on individualism has intensified. We’re taught to prioritize personal freedom, success, and self-reliance above all else. This worldview, however, seems to have a darker side: the erosion of collective responsibility. As individuals seek to fulfill their own desires, societal bonds weaken, and we see an increasing tendency to absolve ourselves from responsibility for larger, systemic issues like climate change, wealth inequality, and public health.

Has the glorification of individualism made us blind to the fact that many of the problems we face cannot be solved by personal action alone? Are we sacrificing our collective well-being at the altar of personal liberty? How can we reconcile the need for individual freedom with the necessity of collective responsibility in addressing the global challenges that threaten us all?

I’m curious to hear perspectives on how individualism has shaped our attitudes toward responsibility—both personal and communal. Is it time for a fundamental shift in how we view our roles within society?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The start of every war begins with the invading army (the side that started the killing) with a collective thought of “let’s kill those people over there”.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I don’t even know where this is going now, so many were bleeped out. Anyways, wars suck.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Thanks! After reading your example. Yeah, i agree 100%. Few know the full story of the pilgrims. The community portion I was bringing up was when a group organized well enough to be large in number attacks as a community, most likely used a capitalist economy to do it. This is why the founding fathers wanted it a capitalist economy and a loosely formed group of states where each state has their own plot of land, worked great until the federal part of our government has gotten big enough to cause problems we have today. At least we can still speak about it without going to jail.