Part 3: Individualism

I have lived in Germany, Australia, Singapore, Austria and now here in the US.

Much of my time in Germany and Singapore was as a child. My comments from here on in a based entirely on one years observation of living in Minnesota. They are no doubt incomplete and flawed.

One cultural quality hightened in the US as in no other country I have experienced is individualism.

The US owes much of its ingenuity and accomplishment as a super power to this quality. Employed well it amplifies the strengths of each citizen - and makes it a source of pride rather than shame. Maybe the easiest way to clarify what I mean by contrasting it.

Our kids went to public school in Austria. There, the status quo was the aim. To fit in, to do well, but not excede or fall behind. Dress was smart, but never outrageous. New ideas were often met with "Why should we change?", "What would you know?" Maybe because Austria looks backward to its glorious and safe past and not so much to the future (unsafe) there appeared to be very little esteem for the radical, or the untested.

US culture appears to reward radical and inventive thinking and action much more than any other culture I have been part of. And, I like it. Especially in the area of theology and art. There is great freedom and patience for people to explore ponder andhypothesize.

The downside seems to be a lack of experienced community and need. So many of our everyday relationships begin with need.
I need help, I need freindship, I need peers . . .
Individualism reduces the smallest cultural unit down to the individual. So then logically, if I need something, I am the first one to supply the need. It makes for really small circles of influence, or circles of shallow influence. It is my experience that Americans tend to have more 'friends' but not many if any very deep friendships. Maybe 'need' has some influence here.

Maybe to have 'deep' relationships our first step is to declare need?