Good Example Of Essay On The Individual And The Community

An Individual and a community are interchangeable because both aspects are vital if the society has to be steered forward (survive). The way a person chooses to relate with the community is largely influenced by the identity, race, gender, and religion. David Brooks has made a significant contribution towards the understanding of the relationship between individual and community.
There are many people in the world who can go out of their way in order to make themselves unique and more of an individual. Some people who can do anything just to be part of the community. It is possible for an individual to be strictly an individual and not part of the community. The character of the community is largely dependent on its population size, territorial size, economic pursuits and nature of the local government. Conflicts between individuals and community are best understood when both needs of the individual and community are examined.
As a youngster, I had in many instances came in conflict with the community. I did not fully conform to the practices of the community. One of the concerns that most people have is How do we know when it is moral to accept or reject the demands of the community or the authority? I thought the community continued abuse of power was not morally right, and I went against it. The actions seemed unthinkable to me, and I vehemently spoke against them.
I fought to end the abuse of power something that made many people hate me. Though I thought that leaving the community could be the only solution available, I decided to stay back and fight against the inherent misuse of power that had been transferred from generation to generation. My continued refusal to the societal norms and detachment made the community elders to hate me. Some went as far as cursing me and calling me an outcast. Personally I think it is not morally right to support a community that suppresses its followers, and this is what I was fighting for. However, when determining what is morally right or wrong we should properly evaluate the differences with the authority. David Brooks says in his article says that;
“Rejecting blind difference to authority, many of the young people have gone off to the other extreme: “I would do what I thought made me happy or how I felt. I have no other way of knowing what to do, but how I internally feel.” (Brooks)
As much as what I was fighting for was important to not only me but the community as a whole, few understood my intentions. In my life, I have always held that everyone. The strong and weak, have the same rights to life and the community at large. The rule of law in my society was against the basic rights of the individuals such as owning of the property and that the rights of the poor were not protected. Many people hold that unless charity is a mandatory act, no one can help the less fortunate in our community.
I have always believed that value exists in the relationship between the individual and the community in order to lead to productive results. Brooks and Stephen Marche have vividly described the unmatched value of the interaction between the community and the individual. The community is an entity that has the desires independent to those of the individual desires. I have always placed a considerable importance of the unmatched value that we can derive from proper interaction between the individual and the community.
Even though David Brooks’ story is focused about the people that have lived a successful and quite fulfilling lives, that is not my actual intention of reading it. Yes, we both understand that the book is the central focus in our course but sincerely speaking I could have picked it if I had come about it on my own. Am always interested in people’s characters, and in addition I have no any doubt that Brook will further explore the topic in his book. Already David Brook has vividly highlighted being dependable, honest, making vital contributions to the world, and also delving into the unconscious mind, in short he has talked about individual vs. community.
What more can I ask of David Brook? However, above all, David Brooks highlights one issue that has momentarily grabbed my attention completely, that of the sentiment over the reason, and individual and community. It is important to remember that we are dealing with people we are dealing with logic creatures. Throughout my entire life, I have always placed considerable value of logic over emotions. If one is asked to describe myself, he or she could probably get the introverted thinker of the extroverted feeler. However, I understand that sentiments are essential ingredients for living in a community in this world. In this world, one cannot thrive individually without the support of others.
David Brooks and Stephen Marche works both reflects the literature piece of work that closely links to my struggle/conflict with my community. Though I was not successful to totally eliminate the inherent suppression and misuse of power that was prevalent in my community, the moral values were at least brought into the limelight. Though the community is bigger than an individual, diversity and self-respect should not be undermined in any social setting. The community norms should not limit our actions as an individual plays.
David Brooks exemplifies through his essays that individual and community are interchangeable. Brooks made a comment that the community is greatly affected through such personal factors as religion, race, gender and identity which in turn affects the place of an individual in the community. For instance, Brooks argues that because of the community’s ‘appropriate views’, of the gender and religion, homosexual love should not be allowed in the community. Brooks, therefore, argue that individual cultures play a vital role in the influencing of the community’s guidelines on how to live in the community.
“A few years ago, a faculty committee at the Harvard produced a report on the purpose of education. “ The aim of the liberal education” the report declared, “ is to unsettle presumptions, to defamiliarize the familiar, to reveal what is going on beneath and behind appearances, to disorient young people and to help the to find ways to reorient themselves” (Brooks).
The concept of individual and community are mostly intertwined because one affects the other. Religion, gender, race and identity all play a vital role in making an individual who he or she is in the community. Similarly, the community is greatly affected by all its individuals because of their unique religions, identity, race, and gender. David Brooks clearly demonstrates how the religion and gender both act as the influential factors in community and love. In his essay/article, David Brooks argues that the society should embrace both the individual and the community through proper interaction of the two parties.
“Respect. Many people say this honor validates my career, but I did not work hard for validation. I did not play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel” (Brooks)
Thus, David Brooks believes that though it is hard to thrive with community differences, one should never give up. Gender plays a fundamental role in the individual and the community simply because same sex relationships are considered as a taboo in the community. The individual’s place in the community will be adversely affected by same sex relationships in the community.
Brooks through his article shows how individual and the community are very interchangeable. Brooks concedes that the community is influenced through such factors as race, gender, and (individual) and among others. Facebook has played a critical in the explanation of the topic between community and individual. The social networks have greatly contributed to the interaction of the people from diverse parts of the world while at the same leading to the loneliness.
“Facebook can be terrific, if we use it properly,” Cacioppo continues, “It is like car. You can drive it to pick your friends, or you can drive it alone. However, hasn’t the car increased loneliness? If cars created the suburbs, surely they also created isolation. That is because of how we use cars” (Marche)
Based on the aforementioned facts, David Brooks represents the relationship that exists between the individual and the community. According to other authors such as Eric Liu, the relationship between the community and the individual is further highlighted through social networks. The two authors significantly contribute towards the connection that exists between an individual and his or her community. It is a community in which a person dwells that determines much of his character.