As Americans, I think we pride ourselves in being unique. We believe we have this unique freedom, the American Dream, to become whoever we want to be.
Over time, however, I think we have lost the American Dream,
and it has become something entirely different.
The ideas of a being self-made man have slowly turned into seeking
out individuality and personal freedom and autonomy above all else. We have
gone from striving towards a better life for ourselves through hard work and
perseverance to doing what makes us feel good, prizing the freedom to do what
we want above everything else. What does this mean for our culture?
It means that slowly our unity is being stripped away. With strong individualism, personal freedom
and autonomy have come the ideas of relativism and personal truths. No longer
are we united by the fact that we are “one nation under God.” Our society has
rejected many of these universal truths on which we have built our country. So
what can we possibly be united by?
While our society tells us to embrace our individuality and
what makes us unique, maybe we have forgotten truly who we are as a human race.
We have forgotten the common thread in all of us. It is true, each of us is
unrepeatable, but we are also more than just individuals.
Gaudium et Spes addresses the way in which the Church is
called to respond to this culture of individuality, and provides an example for
all of society to develop culture in this way as well.
It remains each man’s duty to retain an understanding of the whole human person in which the values of the intellect, will, conscience and fraternity are present. These values are all rooted in God the Creator and have been wonderfully restored and elevated in Christ.
Whether or not you follow the Church, understanding the whole of the human person is intrinsically important in the development of culture. We should move beyond the individual, embracing
everything it means to be human. We must seek to grow in knowledge and respect of
those around us. Gaudium et Spes again reminds us to “live in very close
union with the other men of their time and may they strive to understand
perfectly their way of thinking and judging.” (62) In recognizing who we are as
humans, this not only unites us, but allows us to further develop our culture
in a more unified way.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Individuality is not bad.
Our uniqueness, however, should never divide us. Rather, it
should encourage us and lead us to wonder and admiration of the entire human
race.
I have to respectfully disagree with your post, Marisa. I think that individuality is creating a new American culture rather than killing it altogether. Gaudiem et Spes said that all cultures have failures. I think the lack of individuality was a failure on the part of American culture. I do agree with you, however, that our differences should not cause discourse but rather cause us to be closer and more respectful of each other.
ReplyDeleteI understand the point which you are trying to make since as a country we should have some common thread connecting us. The current American generation pursues individuality for the sake of being unique rather than trying to express what they believe or how they really feel. While no one wants to be just like everyone else, it is important to acknowledge that we are all a part of the human race. We should never judge people for how they express themselves, rather we should try to understand their views and respect them as a human being. While we may not agree with their beliefs, it is important to acknowledge the dignity that each person possesses.
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