The myth of invincibility that America clings to is intertwined with the myth of The Individual itself.
But unlike the myth of invincibility, that of The Individual, I argue, has many useful social and cultural properties in the US; And frankly, in most countries in the Americas, with their distinctly ‘new world’ majorities, barely a few generations removed from Africa, Asia, and Europe.
The Individual as a sociocultural monolith has great utilitarian value in these lands. It is a bulwark against fascism and religious nationalism. It can be of immense use with legislative clarity on human rights and social justice. It will ultimately destroy the oppression of the nation state.
The myth of invincibility spreads nothing but fear and anxiety; Whereas The Individual, what we think is our innermost self, has a fighting chance of seeking joy and experience.
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Protest against shelter-in-place order during the COVID-19 crisis (photo by Hu Nhu, May 2020)
The idea of the common good has had a tough time gaining traction in America, shrouded as it is in libertarian individualism. It’s probably true for a lot of frontier countries less than a few centuries old; But there’s a particularly ferocious rejection of the very idea itself by a sizable minority in America.
This might be because our imperialism strokes the ego of our nation’s disenfranchised and elite alike. This might be because we valorize conquest and dominion, over cooperation and humanity. Or it might just be because we’re greedy as fuck and don’t want to admit it.
Regardless, we can only stick our heads in the sand so long. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing a lot of us in America to think about the common good, whether we like it or not. Beyond class barriers and borders.
What is the common good? It’s a question I’ve been wrestling with for decades. It might help to first understand what the common is, before starting egomaniacal intellectual exercises on what is good for the same.
So, then, what is the common? It’s such a laughably intrinsic part of being human (or just being) that it feels silly even defining it. We all know what it is. We live it, breath it, find our sense of existence and meaning in it, and ultimately die in it. Living out every day with shared air, shared space, shared water, shared food, shared lives, shared sorrows, shared successes, shared relations, shared loves, shared fears, shared joys and, eventually, going back into a shared earth. Multiple levels of the common, of and for all. Once you sense and feel that in an intrinsic way, it becomes easier to understand that the “good” in the common good is essentially an over-emphasis.
This reality of the common shatters the myth of individualism, in America and elsewhere. And it is a myth. Because if you think you’re not a social creature supported by and sharing in a web of networks, you’re an idiot at a disturbingly basic level. If you actually think you are a full-on individual, i.e. completely your own person in every way, from birth till death with no connections to other parts of humanity or personhood whatsoever, I’m sorry, but you really are a delusional fool (and likely a fellow American…so, whaddup oh patriot).
At best, one can argue that there is some kind of partial individual in all of us. But even that “individual” – our psyche, our consciousness, or *gasp* our soul – only exists in relationship to other beings and configurations of matter, information, and light.
And deep down, every being on earth knows this, including those who think they’re laughably part of some Randian civilizational zenith.
Which is why I’m destroying the semi-argument I started this piece with – that this rejection of the common good by a sizable chunk of America is due to an underlying belief in rugged individualism and brute power.
I think it’s due to another myth we Americans wallow in, more than any other people on earth right now.
The myth of invincibility.
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[Warning: Political post – look away if grossed out.]
Independents, progressives, libertarians, justice- and freedom-loving folk, democratic socialists, social democrats, and yes, *gasp* even constantly outraged anarchists, communists, and nationalists should look at this current moment with hope.
Why? Simple. We have our best chance yet of having two very critical things legislatively sandblasted into stone and institutionalized for generations to come:
Universal Healthcare (i.e. Medicare For All or M4A) and a Universal Basic Income (i.e. UBI).
These two things alone will be game changers in the fight against homelessness, the COVID pandemic, inadequate healthcare access, and brute poverty. For conservatives and liberals alike; Urbanites, suburbanites, country folk, all; Politicking hustlers and their moronic followers on both sides of the aisle; And most importantly, working families across class spectrums – all will benefit immensely. It doesn’t matter which party you support or who you generally vote for in this semi-farce we call a democracy…universal healthcare and a universal basic income will be guaranteed safety nets for all.
We don’t have to like each other to ensure everyone is taken care off.
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Why train when you know the man-boobs and love handles will never disappear? Good food is just too good…
Oh them estrogenic remnants some of us guys are destined to carry could disappear if I feasted less on those glorious carbs but this isn’t a fantasy story.
Ultimately, we train because we must.
Thus begins yet another endeavor for the sake of the endeavor alone: The 10’000 hour training diary – with every day’s physical activity counting as either one or a half hour of variegated mastery building, depending on the activity.
Why?
Helps tame the demons and find glory in sought after discomfort. That, and I eat like a pig anyway so might as well make it count.
We’ll see how it goes, but so far so good…
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love liberation struggle 