Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!amdahl!ames!killer!fmayhar From: fmayhar@killer.UUCP (Frank Mayhar) Newsgroups: alt.individualism Subject: Individualism. Summary: What it means to me. Message-ID: <3657@killer.UUCP> Date: 11 Mar 88 07:55:03 GMT References: <1353@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> Reply-To: fmayhar@killer.UUCP (Frank Mayhar) Followup-To: alt.individualism Distribution: na Organization: The Unix(R) Connection BBS, Dallas, Tx Lines: 37 In article <1353@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> ccs026@deneb.ucdavis.edu.UUCP (-=paul=-) writes: >i'd like to propose that individualism is not >necessarily related to belonging to groups, but >is a state of mind. i consider myself to be >an individualist because i enjoy doing things >by and for myself, not to conform to some other >person's idea of what i should be or do. >-=paul=- Hear hear! However, may I point out that individualism is not necessarily related to _not_ belonging to groups, as well. (Maybe that's what you meant.) I belong to a number of groups, some by choice, some not. For example, I'm a member of a group of people that work at our development center, and a more individualistic group of people is hard to find. At the same time, we are all committed to the group itself. The individualism is in our outlook rather than in our actions. That outlook, that we all share to one degree or another, is that we will be as self-reliant as possible (individually and as a group), that we will not allow ourselves to be dictated to (many people have left recently over this very point), and that we will do work that we enjoy, even if we have to leave the group to do so. While I share the above traits, my self-concept goes much deeper than that. It basically boils down to the fact that I do not allow myself to be dictated to by others, nor do I let my self-image be affected by other peoples opinions. I'll go further and say that I only let other peoples opinions matter to me when I (or my conscience) believe they should. (My wife's opinions mean a great deal to me. Your opinions, O anonymous reader, mean very little. Now if I met you and got to know and respect you, that might [probably would] change.) I also have a very strong belief that the individual is at least as important as any group, and probably more important. I could go on for reams, but this seems enough for now. -- Frank Mayhar UUCP: ..!{ihnp4,dj3b1}!killer!fmayhar ARPA: Frank-Mayhar%ladc@BCO-MULTICS.ARPA USmail: 680 Grand Ave #201 Long Beach, CA 90814 DeathStarNet: (213) 438-7899