"Do you have an opinion? A mind of your own? I thought you were special"

[rm']

Why is individuality so cherished? Why should we think for ourselves? Wouldn't we be happier if we were all the same? Wouldn't that eliminate conflict, pain, and suffering? Wouldn't life be easier and more peaceful if we were told what to do, who to be, and how to act?

[c2R]

Life would probably be easier, but not half as much fun. If you enjoy life, perhaps because of your individualism and freedom to create - and the same attributes which you enjoy in others. It also follows that you will make decisions and be involved in situations that aren't pleasurable, or fun - perhaps as a result of your personal beliefs, or decisions you as an individual may make.

Basically, you have to take the rough with the smooth.... but there's no way of being sure that in a land comprising of generic people life would be even just mediocre - it'd likely still be terrible.

[dam]

Think about it. Do you really wanna live like the 'borg' do? Yes it might end pain and suffering, but without our individuality we can't really differentiate ourselves from animals.
No we cant be happier if we lose our individuality, we wouldnt know what happines is. Can the b0rg be happy? No, cos they cant feel happy.

edit : typo

[Vie]

Originally posted by dam
Think about it. Do you really wanna live like the 'borg' do? Yes it might end pain and suffering, but without our individuality we can't really differentiate ourselves from animals.
No we cant be happier if we lose our individuality, we wouldnt know what happines is. Can the b0rg be happy? No, cos they cant feel happy.

edit : typo

SEE I DINT PUT IT UP!! SEE I'M NOT A NO LIFE TREKER!!!

[Some1]

Wouldn't we be happier if we were all the same? Wouldn't that eliminate conflict, pain, and suffering? Wouldn't life be easier and more peaceful if we were told what to do, who to be, and how to act?

Yes, but only in a very shallow and superficial way, and things which are shallow and superficial (like teenyboppers) suck...and besides, who would get to decide which template would be used as the "standard for humanity"? The sort of uniformity you suggest is not possible as long as humans possess a sense of self, and I beleive that current psychological theory holds that the sense of self is an intrinsic characteristic of any human being, except for those that are messed in the head.

Why should we think for ourselves?

Why shouldn't we? How would anything new or creative ever some into existence if individual thought was banished???

/me sings to self ..... "How sweet to be an idiot...."

[InvisableMan]

Originally posted by dam
without our individuality we can't really differentiate ourselves from animals.

actually even the lowest form of life has, to some degree, individuality

[Trigear]

Originally posted by InvisableMan



actually even the lowest form of life has, to some degree, individuality

not true. take, for example, complex colonies of certain bacterias, which act as one single entity but in reality are many single-celled organisms. also keep in mind honeybees and other colony insects whose sole function at any given time is a derivative of perpetuating the colony's existence.

[fish]

Originally posted by rm'
..if we were told what to do, who to be, and how to act?

If we were told what to do then there would be another lifeform not like us who would be able to be the tyrant over stupid humans. this would just reverse itself by resisting controllees and they would attack the master, per se

I'll shut up now...

[dylman]

I try not to believe what television, radio, and the internet tells me to believe, but it's hard, so very hard...

[duet maxwell]

Originally posted by rm'
Why is individuality so cherished? Why should we think for ourselves? Wouldn't we be happier if we were all the same? Wouldn't that eliminate conflict, pain, and suffering? Wouldn't life be easier and more peaceful if we were told what to do, who to be, and how to act?

then people would all just be boring

[sscw46]

It would eliminate conflicts, but no suffering and pain would only be superficial. There would be conflicts within each person if he/she did not want to do what was "ordered." Individuality is common among everyone, and it is not easy to be stoic and subservient every second of a person's life. It is basically taking away freedom, which is something very serious and harmful.

[Ravenzfire]

Of course life would be easier. There would never be any reason for conflicts, everyone would get along, we would never have to worry about the future. Everything would be packaged up into a nice tidy preprogramed, conditioned, human being. Every read "Brave New World"? The question you ask is the society in that book (which, by the way, is a very good book and one I would recommend to anyone). But could that type of situation ever come true? I would have to say no. Why? Becuase it goes against the very nature of humanity and creation itself. Everything is individual not matter what race, breed, or species. I don't think we could ever become a perfect society where we all get along and are told what to do because at our very core we need to be our own person, we need to be an individual. Besides, if everyone agreed there wouldn't be anymore advancement. Everything would pretty much come to a stand still becuase there would no longer be those who question and have to prove the opposite of a certain given. So, would life be easier? Heck yeah! Would life be better? I don't think so!

[cmountford]

No---life would be extremely boring. Just think...everyone will be an echo of everyone else. The forums would be very inactive...or at least extremely annoying...everyone says the exact same thing & has exact same opinion.

That isn't my idea of a good thing.

Plus I would fight fiercely to be different :-P

[rm']

[griffinn]

In a homogeneous environment, there will eventually be one wise guy who figures out he can exploit all the others by being different. This is why communism only looks nice on paper.

[Raz]

[Coman]

nice