The Idol of the Individual

Some people will distrust the herd and instead put their faith in the individual. They believe the lone person, freed from the crowd, will be noble, authentic, good. This is another illusion.

The herd blinds, it silences thought and punishes difference. But the individual is definitely no saint, he is often selfish, cruel, and vain. He is not pure truth; he is appetite in human form.

Modern culture worships this idol. Therapy whispers “trust yourself.” Politics preaches “follow your heart.” Advertising flatters you: “you deserve it.” Even rebellion is sold as a brand: be yourself (mainly by buying what everyone else buys..)

But goodness is not guaranteed by solitude. Nor is wisdom born simply from standing apart. To stand apart is merely the beginning. The real work is struggle, testing, doubting, suffering, building, start over again and again.

To believe that the individual is inherently good is to forget that he comes from the herd, carries the herd within him, and easily becomes his own tyrant.

The herd is dangerous because it erases conscience in numbers and turns away from real thoughts. The individual is dangerous because he mistakes desire for truth. Both lead to blindness without the doubt.

Therefore, we must stand together, apart. And we must never be still, only in movement, in process is truth alive.