My thoughts on individualism

I hate labels. There have been people in my life who have insisted that I'm intelligent. I do not refer to myself using the I-word. There are a lot of intellectual stereotypes out there, and I know that I don't fit them.

Despite my resistance to labels, I have to admit that there are some that might work for someone like me. Perhaps the best example is that I could be thought of as an individualist. My views might not match perfectly with the prototypical individualist, but I don't mind being connected to this label.

How do I view individualism? We are all unique individuals with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Society at its best allows each individual control over their own lives unless they are legitimately harming the rights of other individuals. This is primarily because individuals should always be in a better position to satisfy their wants and needs better than broadly applied expectations.

My personal views on individualism are especially apparent in my educational views. Every student has their own strengths and passions. They should not all be expected to pursue the same educations. If they are doing their jobs, they should be the biggest experts on who they are and what they need. For this reason, I prefer that learners take charge over their educations rather than teachers. Our schooling model completely contradicts this concept and seriously undermines the rights of learners. Our model is so hostile to the educational rights of the individual that I truly believe that dismantling the system completely would result in a better educated society.

A lot of people incorrectly view individualism as synonymous with selfishness. Although selfishness can clearly exist within an individualist context, these are two very different concepts. Individualism allows individuals to find their own ways to help others. They can find what works best for them to contribute to society.

Even apparent selfishness isn't always as selfish as it seems. Being able to do things the way that you want can help your mental health. This can result in being more pleasant around others. Being pleasant around others can benefit others. Similarly, being in a positive mood can make you more productive and put yourself in a better state to form thoughts.

As an individualist, I acknowledge that each individual has a right to their own perspective of what individualism means to them. I hope anyone who reads this understands what this means. Although I seem to fit this particular label, my views are not representative of individualists in general. Similarly, you should not always assume that the views of individualists in general will reflect my views.