In olden days, the family or tribe was not only the primary social unit, it was also the unit of survival. Confronted as they were with wild hordes of men and beasts, with little defense against them but brute strength, plagued by forces of nature over which they had no control, and with each man's consumption, in the absence of technology, limited to what he alone could produce, men understandably banded together in the interest of their survival.
In the process, however, many foolishly surrendered the one aspect of themselves that survival demands: an independent mind. They blindly accepted the authority of the group or of the group's leader, they unthinkingly took unto themselves the duties and obligations extorted by the group, they placed the alleged interest of the group above their own.
Today, many continue the error of their forebears...seeing themselves not as individuals but as links in a social chain, concerned more with living up to the mores and preferences of the group than those of their own choosing, suppressing their individuality in their quest to get along and to belong, to be accepted into the group...only to find they have lost their identity, their uniqueness, their passion for life, their soul.
The consequence is a half-hearted, burdened life, lacking conviction, devoid of direction, uncertain and despairing, with none of the passion that only a free-spirited, confident, courageous, imaginative, independent miind can spark.
It has properly been stated that a human mind cannot be forced. That is evidence of and a tribute to its naure. But it can be surrendered.
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