I have been a bit tortured over what is the role of the individual in society.
I know that benefaction runs so deep in my soul, that I cannot ignore it.
On the other hand, I have also learned that I need to care well for myself, so that I can be well and prosper.
Recently in my experience, I have been forced to encounter a cadre of devotees to Ayn Rand, whose philosophical constructs served as the basis of the neo-conservative movement. She had an absolutist perspective that believed that an individual had only one obligation: to act for one's own happiness. She also stated that altruism, which she refers to as a tribal phenomenon that human society has outgrown, is a betrayal of self-care.
I believe that a corollary stemming from that indicates that if anyone else suffers while one is providing for his own happiness, then that is just tough for them. Too bad that you are in my way. Is an individual just collateral damage? Circumstantial? I don't believe that any individual deserves being relegated to the status of obstacle rather than a person. Because in their fulfilling their need for happiness, are they not dehumanizing those other than themselves?
I don't think I like that idea much. I have always held to the Hippocratic ideal, "Do no harm."
The Daoist in me craves finding a balance between proper self-care v. altruism.
I am becoming interested in the topic of ethics. I need to sort out all of this information.
I need to find what it is that I should do.
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