What is the balance between individual needs and the needs of society?

How do you personally find a balance between your personal needs and those of your society as a whole?|||Aaaargh!!! This didn't seem so verbose when I started replying. Sorry, anyway, if you feel bored, here is an "essay" :)





Not sure I understood which needs you are referring to, but, my take:





Imagine an island with one individual, with all necessary provisions to make self-sufficient life possible. On that island, same question is asked. Answer is - the needs of the individual are evidently whatever apply to the individual, all which the individual can satisfy personally without participation of others (who do not exist in this case), doing whatever he/she can and wills.





Same scenario, two more get shipwrecked. Three inhabit the island now, still plenty of resources to go around for no one to be deprived of basics. Same question is asked. For the individual, the answer is same - whatever one does which does not force others to become involved (albeit now no longer through circumstance of being alone, but, still same in principle through conscientious choice). The answer, involving all three, is, they first must agree on living together, making a social contract of sorts, which once made, all three must observe as per agreement. Doesn't matter what they initially agree to, or how the contract evolves through mutual consent over time, point is, the balance is spelled out in the contract. The three may have agreed on cooperation and assistance, to help one recover if injured and such. The three may also have agreed to be hermits, neither relying on the other two for assistance under any circumstances. The first contract obligates all to balance their personal needs via some sacrifice in times of crisis where the collective is at stake; the latter obligates neither to do anything, albeit, neither precludes spontaneous last minute decision on anyone's part to lend a hand...





Balance between individual and social needs are what a social contract defines in general.





How do I personally find balance? If my needs are sensible, if society is fairly sensible as well, with the give and take required of all, the two sets of needs aren't much in conflict beyond some small common sense sacrifices. Alternately, there is always seclusion, comes down to deciding which is more desirable - some give and take while part of society, or absolute independence in seclusion. Also depends on what one's needs are, depends what society claims to need and how sensible it all is. If one perpetually "needs" to possess the next year's luxury model of a car yet is unable to afford it hence steals it, and/or if a society is a senseless tyrannical hysterical mob persecuting harmless individuals whose personal choices in private affect no one, then, I'm not sure there exists a healthy balance under such "unhealthy" circumstances. Those who are sensible and can't seem to find that balance, tend to be the ones fleeing to countries where a more desirable balance is possible. Those with unhealthy sense of balance in a fairly healthy society tend to find themselves forcibly secluded.





Regards, Pat.|||Individual needs and needs of the society never meet together.Individualism asks for individual interest and Society wants social welfare.In order to bring a balance between the two,one must be very careful.Being an individual,one has to take care of the importance of individuality,which keeps him different and secluded from Society,but individuals do exist in every society and helps in building it strong.Be a part of Society,respect its ideals but don't forget your individuality.:)|||Remember that you must take care of yourself and yours first. If you don't do that, no one else will. We are all responsible for the state of our society and we all need to take action toward betterment, but if we don't take care of ourselves first we will become a burden to society and therefore we become part of the problem. Concentrating on being better people and living a good life and teaching our children to do the same is a big step toward a better society overall.





http://www.soulsastray.com/|||render unto caesar the things that BELONG to caesar...all the rest of this shiit is MINE!