The Age of the Individual

I has been my day-off today - and I've been reading "The Politics of Hope" by Jonathan Sacks (yes...the Chief Rabbi).

It's a fascinating book, with much to say about the differences between politics and society...but more on that on another occasion. What has particularly gripped me today has been Sacks' take on the difference between "Individuals" and "Individualism".

We are, of course, all individuals - and each one of us uniquely loved by God (whether or not we believe in God!). But in the last 200 years, the cult of individualism has really begun to take hold. The most intriguing definition cited in the book is that of Alexander de Tocqueville, who in 1981 (in his book 'Democracy in America) said that individualism is that 'mature and calm feeling which disposes each member of the community to sever himself from the mass of his fellows and to draw apart with his family and friends, so that after he has formed this little circle of his own, he willingly leaves society at large to itself'.

What an absolutely stunning definition (I thought to myself). I have to say that I am not yet convinced that individualism as defined here has not always been with us in one form or another. But I think we can see times in history when individualism has been sacrificed for the good of society as a whole. The 'wartime spirit' so often lamented by the older generation would be one example.

The hard reality is, however, that most of us, if we are honest, are quite happy with our small circle of friends and family...and as long as the rest of society doesn't bother us, we are happy to leave it to its own devices.

How very far this is from Jesus' command for us to love our neighbour as ourselves - including his graphic parable which defined our neighbour as 'even a samaritan'...the outsider, and the foreigner.

For my evening 'entertainment' I have watched 'Hotel Ruwanda' on TV this evening. It was almost too painful to watch. Perhaps the most painful scene of all is the moment when a European camera man says of his TV news footage about to be sent home, that people at home will "watch it, say 'how dreadful', and then go back to their dinner".

That hurts..doesn't it?