Musings on Individuality

Here is a brief musing I wrote some time ago. Nothing fancy here, just a fun thought.

What does it mean to be an individual? What is the opposite of an individual? Is it a group? Or maybe it is a “Plurality”, which does not necessarily mean that the person is part of a larger group, but that the person is splintered or is validated by things outside of itself.

A true individual is someone whose explanation of actions and of the self starts and ends with the individual. The individual’s actions flow out from her, they do not have an antecedent. There is no such thing as a compelling outside force, as all forces that drive action are internal. There is no scapegoat, no excuse, only complete responsibility for everything that makes up the self. There is no appeal to Nature or Nurture, no traumatic childhood experience that compels action. The individual is praiseworthy of every accomplishment and blameworthy of every failure. The individual feels compromised when performing acts in concert with others. The feeling of loss of autonomy is disconcerting to the individual. The individual does not wish her voice drowned out by others or added to the greater din of the crowd. The individual wishes to be seen and herd, not as part of many, but one standing out from many.

The plural person sites things outside herself. The plural person is a product of external forces, Nature and Nurture, and the pressure of peers. When asked “Why?”, the plural person will say “They made me do it!” The accomplishments and failures of the plural person are never her own – they belong to the external forces at work within her. The plural person exists most comfortably when around others. The plural person needs external forces to guide her, as the source of her action is not within. The plural person feels right when singing in chorus, when cheering at a sporting event, and when applauding the conclusion of a show. The hum of the collective and the sway of the crowd are pleasant to the plural person.

True Individual- one person in number, in action, in intent, and in cause.

Plural- more than one person in action, in intent, and in cause; not necessarily more than one person in number.