In order to fully examine why socialism does not work, we must first start by examining briefly what makes everyone a unique individual in our society. There is not enough time or space to write to explore this issue to its end if an end is even possible. There are many different beliefs and theories of personal identity and individualism as pertains to uniqueness. However, I will endeavor to explore briefly what I believe is the basis of uniqueness and through that exploration initiate discussion and a certain amount of introspection. This three part series that I am embarking on was sparked by a friend's comment that "humans are not as unique as you think they are." This one comment got me thinking about the my former college experience and the hours of studying and researching I did directly pertaining to personal identity. I believe that each human being is vastly unique and as such should be treated as a unique being in society.
I think that we can all agree that humans possess many similarities with each other when it comes down to basic bodily function and design. We all possess a body controlled by a brain and nervous system and consequently all the systems that the brain and nervous system are connected to. There is general knowledge that if you prick any human's finger with a needle, they will feel pain and in response, jerk that finger away from said pain. We all may react slightly differently depending on our pain tolerance or the certain degredation of nerves, but the underlying reaction is to an extent, universal. Similarly, most of our body's systems function in similar ways to everyone elses. The physics behind eyesight, hearing, and mobility are the same regardless of where you are from. Even our brain's pathways operate similarly to those of others. To me, this encompasses most of our similarities with each other. Once we move beyond the scientific similarities of the human body, we begin to encounter different variables that begin to distinguish us as individuals.
Once we move away from the human body and the general world population possessing one, we start to see differences depending on where and how we live. Our bodies, while operating similarly to others, react differently depending on the region and climate that we are raised in. Our minds begin, from an early age, begin to cultivate certain distinctions about the world we live in separate from any other individual. Someone living Alaska, will have a completely different set than someone who lives on the tropical island of Fiji. Based on the parameters developed in the mind, a person comes to expect certain phenomenon based on his physical location in the world. While this begins to separate us from each other, i.e. develop our uniqueness, it can be argued that if the person from Alaska moved to Fiji, then his body would eventually aclimate itself to the new locale. This may be true, but the argument fails to draw upon the most distinct part of us that makes us unique, our memories and perceptions carried with us from place to place irregardless of time. While certain memories may fade over time and others may become more vivid, every memory builds upon the previous and in so doing affects our perceptions of the world that we live in. The person from Alaska, having moved to Fiji, will most likely show outward signs of amazement at the beauty that the island holds noticing intricate details that may not hold that attention of the Fijian as long because he has grown up in the lush island paradise and is accustomed to the world around him.
Our memories and perceptions are the distinct part of who we are that separate us from everyone else. Our minds are what make us unique from anyone else. (For this explanation I will draw off of the theory of heterophenomenology proposed by Daniel C. Dennet). The person we are today, I believe, is a culmination of our memories and impressions accumulated over our lifetime. Every memory we have, meaning everything that we experience as impressed upon the brain either through sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste, is different from anyone elses and creates a unique perception of the world around us. No two people are the same because no two perceptions of the world based upon memories and impressions are the same. Even if you take the Alaskan and Fijian (the Alaskan having been acclimated by now) standing side by side and ask them to relay their experience of an event they both witnessed for the same amount of time from the same vantage point, you will get different responses. Why, because A) they could not be physically standing in the same spot to view the event from the same angle, even if separated by a few inches and B) they will notice different things about the event because they are standing in different spots and because their memories and perceptions inform their minds to pick up on different nuances and to place greater importance on ones that they feel will have a greater impact upon them. For instance, if both are viewing a tribal dance, the Alaskan may place greater importance upon the beautiful topless women dancing in the circle, while the Fijian may place greater importance on the story that is being told through the dance.
Similar to viewing things and our differences in percieving the physical world around us, so too are our beliefs separate from those around us because they are informed by a specific set of variables (memories and perceptions) that no other person has access to. There may be a large group of people who call themselves Zoroastrians (I choose this because I do not know any Zoroastrians nor am I one). The beliefs they hold about their religion may be similar, but each person holds a slightly different view of that religion based upon how they were raised, what they encounter specific to that religion, and their interaction with others and how those memories of the interactions feed their perceptions of the religion. Thus, no two perceptions of Zoroastrianism can be exactly the same. One person will inevitably view things differently through the lense of that religion than his friend will view things.
Although brief in nature, I believe that this explanation of what makes us unique can carry us through this three part series individualism and the pitfalls of socialism. I know that there will be people who do not agree with my theory of uniqueness and individualism, but I would like to hear your opinions so as to greater inform my own. For now, let us all realize that no two people are the same and thus we must make an even greater effort to understand each other, where we come from, and the distinct memories and perceptions that make each of us who we are. If we leave our judgement at the door and go into any conversation with an open mind about the other person, we may just come out enlightened. This is not to say that we will understand everything about everyone in such a short period of time, but we must at least make the effort to not impart judgment on others based upon our own unique memories and perceptions for they do not hold true for the other person. We are all vastly unique beyond, even at times, our own comprehension. I do not feel that people engage in introspection enough to learn about who they truly are in order to understand others enough. We all hold our vision of things as truth to a certain extent, but it is only true for us and no one else. If we are to reach a middle ground of understanding, we must first seek to explore the individual and how each individual informs the greater community. Till next time, be well and smile!
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