Yes, western society is sick, but no, it's not by nourishing individuality that you get it healthy ...

I was reminded of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s quote while reading your article: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”. He said a “sick society” and not a collection of “sick individuals”.

I wholeheartedly agree with your depiction of society and its failings and you got close to “naming the beast”. Alas, you stumbled when you sought the cure. The problem with society is precisely the over-emphasis on the individual or rather, failing to see the importance of community. People feel disconnected because they’re asked to be independent and competitive rather than empathic and cooperative. The problem with the West, Western ideals and Western culture is precisely this lack of balance between the ‘individual’ and the ‘communal’. Perhaps it’s due to Christianity which places salvation as an individual task. It seems that even mentioning ‘communal’ sends shivers through a Westerner! Look to the East, look to China to see a better balance. People there see themselves as part of a whole and not as isolated individuals. And they are healthier and better for it both communally and individually.

You say you want a system that serves the individual. What you fail to see is that there is NO system the farther you go into ‘individuality’. We are social animals and, as Novak says, “Super coordinators”. Part of us is communal and we should nourish that communal part too. This may seem anathema to a Westerner but it is absolutely necessary for a healthy society to achieve a better balance between individuality and communality.

In any case, I really enjoyed your article and will read more of your articles soon (I’m on vacation, yay!). Your writing is great but I shun horror and so will, unfortunately, not read your book.

Thanks again for a great article.