Individualism and Tribalism
Our triumph in World War II and, subsequently, the Cold War embodied something more than politics, economics or even freedom. The greatest good that sprang from that achievement was the victory of human dignity of the machinations of the Nazis and the Soviets. The prisoners were set free and the voiceless regained their voices. We remain transfixed by World War II because it represents both our darkest and our most transcendent hour.
What hour is it today? Are we firmly committed to cherishing the dignity of the individual? No, this is the hour of the tribe. We are looking to derive our meaning and identity from government, science and other dry wells. We have been told that President Bush pushed the pendulum too far in the direction of hyper-individualist chaos; that he deregulated and slashed regulatory budgets. I won't recite the facts and figures for you, but as you can read here, the deregulation meme is strictly counter-factual. Both major political parties have a stake in perpetuating this lie, but the cost of believing it is great.
The flip-side of this myth is the spurious notion that, at this moment, we need more sacrifice for some nebulous "common good." This notion is true in the abstract. Nothing is achieved without sacrifice. But the question remains -- what should we be sacrificing? Should we sacrifice our savings to reward the failed automakers and bankers? Should we sacrifice the unborn to the god, "Science?" Should we sacrifice our time and talents to serve our country, right or wrong? Our conscience should always be grounded in Christ. If what we sacrifice isn't for him, we have a problem.
Individualism, rightly understood, does not imply selfishness. After all, there was plenty of greed and selfishness among the disciples of collectivism, the Nazis and the Soviets. No, the successful pursuit of happiness means just the opposite. It means loving those around you. I agree that our age is a selfish and self-indulgent one. In fact, that may be our defining characteristic. This fault leaves a void that we must fill, and so we try to fill this vacuum with more vacuities. But we must not look to government for our meaning and identity. We must not look to Science, or even community.
True Joy sometimes means accepting that the World will hate us, rather than doing anything to gain the acceptance of the tribe. The only thing that will fill us is Christ Himself. His Flesh is True Food. His Food is to do the Will of the Father. We must do His Will, and He will give us True Food. If we look to Him, he will give us our identity and meaning.