Imagine, being born into a universe where there is only you and nothing else. Would grow to be a different person than you are now?
I believe so; the limitations and constraints of a universe in which other things exist causes our behavior to change.
Now, with the consideration of other things in our universe, how does our behavior change. Lets start with surplus and scarcity. Does having too much alter your behavior? Does having too little alter your behavior?
Then, let’s move on to specific things. Does having too much water or too much food or too much internet change our behavior? Does having too little space or too little of clothes or too little time change our behavior?
So how can we be an individual as defined by individual behavior whilst we live in a universe filled with other things?
What if we self isolate and close our eyes for 40 years like the monks? I suppose that could be one way to remove all those things that place constraints on our individualism.
What if we throw everything away? Internet, socks, and extra bread knives. That would get us partially there. Partially to the life of the monk, as well.
It appears that individualism is relative. You practice radical individualism but only within the context of your universe. For example, John, a social media manager in NYC might claim that he practices radical individualism because he removes social media from his phone every weekend. While Sara, a park ranger in Wyoming, practices radical individualism because she hikes in the forest 6 months out of the year and only eats berries. They are radical individuals within their own contexts.
Who is free?
- K
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