The Undividual

There are too few people that I’ve come into contact with throughout my life who best characterize what might be called a selfless individual. Each person, while seeking their path in life and negotiating their way through, across and around the nifty little gems of unexpectedness that happen along, often act out of self-gain. While different models in Game Theory might be used to explain seeking an advantageous outcome, surely it’s neither a crime nor a sin to try and benefit from the labours of life.

Yet we have crossed a point in society where the individual has become greater than the whole. Though this is a concept that needs to be reaffirmed and protected in relation to human rights, where it is essential that each person is treated with dignity and respect through a humanist approach.

What society needs is an undividual, who is willing to sacrifice, give of themselves to others, and always seek stability through cooperation. The undividual would hold the door open for a stranger, or have the decency to say “thank you” when one does so for them; he would let another car ahead of him with ease, and she would show her appreciation for the deed with a kind wave. All of the acts are characterized as being folksy, which is a fantastic approach to people, but it goes beyond a simple term when becomes a constant habit.  

The undividual looks beyond the self, recognizing the value and importance of the whole in every action. Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor and giant of philosophy, once stated that “Every individual dispensation is one of the causes of the prosperity, success, and even survival of That which administers the universe. To break off any particle, no matter how small, from the continuous concatenation – whether of causes or of any other elements – is to injure the whole.” Phew, a tad on the wordy side, but what he was trying to argue is that each individual contributes to the whole; in his view, injuring an individual takes away from the whole. Though his specific reference of the importance of one towards the whole derives from his philosophical views on the gripping warfare he was engaged in throughout his reign, it also applies to the more peaceable forms of humanity. The idea of “injuring the whole” also exists in actions that degrade, insult, offend, slight or take from others.   

So the individual has a great deal of responsibility towards the whole as an undividual. Yet seldom do we see this in society, as the individual rarely recognizes himself in others, or herself in relation to the whole of society. Understanding that our actions influence someone’s mood, how they view strangers, and even relates to economic output and labour markets, marks a true awareness to the significance of one towards the whole. Ultimately we are all connected in humanity, and the ignorance which allows for the discarding of that common bond has allowed some of history’s greatest sorrows to manifest themselves repeatedly.

Think of others the next time you’re out-and-about, especially when you’re having a rough day. Pick-up the cost for the person behind you in the Tim Horton’s drive-thru, offer to help someone with their groceries, think of your neighbour’s lawn that needs cutting when you know they’re away for a few days, or of the little shop down the street rather than the big store without a face. The simplest deed of goodwill and care for a stranger could make someone’s day, giving you reason to smile, and ensuring that our community and society moves closer to engaging each other as equals and undividuals.