On the spectrum of individualism and collectivism

Hey everyone, welcome back to Sunday Journal. I’m sorry for missing an issue the week before. I’m still on my journey of properly organising my life and so when new things suddenly come in, my life just gets reorganised so quickly that I miss out on some parts. And during last week, I’m afraid what I missed out on was my blog. I thought of writing it during the week but as I have different things to work on, the thought keeps getting pushed back and now we have it on Sunday. Yay, back to the actual Sunday Journal.

So yes, this week, I would like to talk about this idea of the spectrum of individualism and collectivism. Even though I would like to say that I’m an individualistic person, I’m still undeniably someone who cares a lot about what society thinks. It’s just a byproduct of my upbringing in a collectivistic culture. But still, I am working towards being more individualistic because I strongly believe that we should prioritize our own well-being over others because ultimately, we’re with ourselves our whole life. We can’t just keep caring about others and at the end of the day, have nothing left for ourselves. However, when I think about the others, I just can’t leave them be, so what do I do?

This is the question that has been lingering at the back of my mind for quite some time. We want to be individualistic where we believe others will be transparent with what they’re feeling and what they want. However, the collectivist culture doesn’t work this way. It’s always about guessing other people’s thoughts and understanding the unwritten rules of the game. When we try to be individualistic in a culture like this, it just doesn’t feel comfortable. What should I do?

It’s the hateful feeling of having two voices in your head fighting each other and trying to find a balance. Finding a balance is great but it’s often tiring. There’s never any written rule on what is balance and it’s just an infinite game of trial and error. Knowing that I am going with individualism for the right reason, I have decided that I will judge my own stance on the spectrum of individualism and collectivism based on my own comfort. Ultimately, it’s what’s most comfortable for you. There’s no point purposely going for yourself or others just for a reason you dislike.

Andrew