I recently read a column (http://www.welingelichtekringen.nl/19592-alles-is-de-massa-maar-de-massa-is-niet-alles.html [dutch]) on the increasing individualism in our society. It criticizes the way individualism is increasingly making its mark on our society and that it was a bad thing for us as a society in the long run. I completely disagree with this point of view.

My position is that in these growing societies it is impossible to maintain the old tribal structure which was the basis of the social structure where groups were predominant and their collective behaviour was the norm. I think are societies has grown beyond the point where these groups can make a difference on our society as a whole. These days the groups we are participating in are the social structures of the individual: the friends we have, the companies we work for and with and also the group societies and clubs where a member of which we feel a part of.

Within these circles we have established rule sets which are correct for those settings. But as a society these rules are becoming more and more meaningless, apart from some basic rules which guarantee our mutual understanding. I can see that Mr. Kuipers is pointing to this as a loss. I think it is the opposite, it is the evolution of our society into a form where you can cope with the larger number of people we have to deal with whom are not part of these groups.

While on the one hand it can be argued that collectivism and helps attaining goals which are good for all of us, I think that individualism allows the expression that is necessary for our persons to survive in such a large and faceless society. One can always choose not to participate if one does not like, provided that there are boundaries set up by law which are enforced to guarantee proper interactions between groups and persons. As a result of this scale problem politics have become an esoteric activity. people feel disenfranchised, not becaue they have lost their vote, but because their vote mean so little in the larger whole.

Going back to the all ways where groups are the primary actors in society will guarantee our downfall. It forces people to confine themselves to ill fitting constraints which are bound to break once size of our societies grow beyond measure and government by addressing groups instead of individuals becomes impossible. There are still a place recruits in our society for representing us and binding us, but it will not be the way to govern our nations.