Last week I agreed with Rebecca about us all being unique individuals.
This is true.
Now we can think of how all these individuals are connected.
What one individual does affects countless other individuals. Think of some examples.
Should we put the uniqueness of an individual first, and that individual's needs, or should we put the general good first?
In other words, should the captain of the Starship Enterprise risk the lives of all his crew to rescue one person stranded on an alien planet?
Myself, I think towards saying yes. It seems more noble, more uplifting, more empathic, more humane. What do you think? Should the one come before the many - or not?
This week (4-10th May) is 'National Honey Week'.
First News newspaper has a feature on bees on its front page. Bees all work together for the common good of their swarm or hive. But bees are dying in their millions. Why? Weather? Pesticide sprays? Mobile phones? What happens if plants don't get pollinated and seeds don't form because bees aren't around? Albert Einstein may have said that without bees, life on this planet would be dead within five years. So things could get a little grim. Maybe the planet as we know it could rather easily do without humans, but getting rid of bees is a different matter altogether.
Lots of ideas for philosophy groups:
'No man is an island.' John Donne
Can 'individualism' become 'thinking of what I want' instead of 'what is good for us all'? What happens to societies when individuals only think of what they want? (Banks collapse? Yes I'd thought of that!)
First News newspaper issue 154
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I think that individualistic action can have negative results for society at large (such as banks collapsing!) and also for the whole planet, when we as humans don't take responsibility for our group behaviour. Perhaps it could be argued that one of the things that makes us human is our ability to NOT be selfish? But of course when we try to work together, that can go wrong too. Look at communism...
ReplyDeleteIt is a curious fateful descion if we decide on rescuing one person. Shakelton was a great believer in this and led his men to the Artic on numerous occassions. Team work was his main instrumental force. It is kinder and a happier existence if we put others first and hope that reflection will eventually overcome barriers.
ReplyDeleteOne descion can impact on others/our lives and impact the direction our lives may take us.
I do belief that we meet mentors along out journery who guide us unknownigly to truth.Affirmations also can act as a useful tool.