Newkirk 1

Ethan Newkirk
Mr. Turley
English I Honors
21 December 2016

You are Important

Imagine a world where you, as an individual, dont matter. Your identity as a person isnt
important, and your work contributes to some greater good that hovers above society. That is
what a world run by collectivism would look like. But dont worry, there is an alternative. It is
what runs the United States, and its called individualism. With Individualism, your uniqueness is
important, and you have freedom to develop who you are and to do what you want to. In a world
where social media and technology takes over our lives, we all need a way to feel important,and
to feel needed. Society should be run by Individualism because it is needed to develop each
person, which in turn lets them contribute more to society, because people are important and
have uniqueness that is unmatched, and because free competition leads to a more prosperous
community.
Individualism lets each person develop each of their own talents, hence leading each
individual to being able to contribute more to society as a whole. It is having an identity,
knowing who you are, finding your purpose and passions that makes the difference
(Huffington Post). If you let each unique individual expand on their own skills, then in turn they
have more to give to society, and it is better refined which gives more to whatever they are
contributing towards. If you dont let each individual chase after their special interests and skills,
then they wont in turn give as much to everyone then if they had free will. That is why
individualism is needed in this world.

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People are important, and each human has uniqueness that is unmatched by anyone else.
Statista states that 78% of people in the US have, or use a social media account. In a society
where so many Americans base their worth and value in followers and popularity on social
media, we need an opportunity for people to be able to showcase each of their unique talents and
abilities. It wouldnt help if you put on a society that just works and contributes for the good of
the whole society, sometimes even sacrificing for everyones benefit. Each person deserves to
be themselves and show and contribute their talents. Never in the world has there been one
person that is the same, even closely, as long as the whole world has been in existence. That just
shows how unique each person is, down to their DNA, fingerprints, personality, interests, talents,
and even their own way of thinking. Every person is unique, and needs to be able to demonstrate
that uniqueness.
Free competition in a community leads to a more productive and beneficial overall
atmosphere. As preserve articles states it, Free competition increases production, ensures
efficiency and maximizes economic well-being. This is the ideal that the American Founders
set forth and sought to establish when they drafted the Declaration and the Constitution and
created a country in which the individuals rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of
happiness were to be recognized and protected (The Objective Standard). Individualism gives
people the right to go and create privately owned businesses which in turn compete with each
other, creating a healthy society that has money flowing around. Collectivism would create a less
healthy community of people, so what even is the purpose?
Despite the evidence against collectivism, many people believe that the myth of
individualism causes destructive behavior, but they fail to see the importance of being an
individual. Those who believe in collectivism think that even though individualism is

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independant, that each persons actions do in fact affect the whole community. They believe that
we are still in this together, and that each individuals actions affect everyone. One article on
collectivism stated it this way: My rabbi recently told a story about a bunch of people in a boat.
One of them started drilling a hole in the boat under his seat and everyone screamed, "What are
you doing?!?". The man drilling the hole said, What business is it of yours? I'm doing this
under MY seat. It doesn't effect you. The commentary is, of course, that we're all in this
together even if we think our actions don't effect others (Deflating Conservative Arguments).
They fail to see that their example may occur as a result of individualism, but only in those rare
cases. For example, take a person that ever since childhood has had a fascination in robotics. All
throughout their schooling, they take classes that develop their knowledge in robotics. When they
grow up, since the society is run by the belief of individualism, he creates a business, and they
come out with a new robot that benefits society. People buy it, and the economy prospers. That is
what people that believe in collectivism fail to see.
Individualism should run society because it develops each person, because people are
unique, and lastly because free competition leads to a more beneficial environment. Letting each
person build on their talents in turn lets them give more to the community; every person is
unique in an unmatched way and should not have to waste that uniqueness. Also, free
competition leads to a more beneficial society. You are important! So, do you want to be free?

Citations:

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"U.S. Population with a Social Media Profile 2016 | Statista." Statista. Statista, n.d. Web.
18 Dec. 2016. <https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-asocial-network-profile/>.
"Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice - The Objective Standard." The
Objective Standard. The Objective Standard, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2012-spring/individualism-collectivism/#>.
Kumar, Arvind. "What Are the Arguments in Support of the Individualism?" What Are
the Arguments in Support of the Individualism? Preserve Articles, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.preservearticles.com/2011100314541/what-are-the-arguments-in-support-of-theindividualism.html>.
Lampert, Ross. "Deflating Conservative Arguments: The Myth of Individualism." Daily
Kos. Daily Kos, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2016. <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/4/10/965522/->.
Graham, Stedman. "Your Identity Matters." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stedman-graham/self-identity_b_3790845.html>.

P.S ( I couldnt get these citations to a hanging indent)