The Contrast between Community and the Collective

The Prisoner Part 2--The Two Towers

Dr. Lawrence Sasaki , Bio and Archives--September 16, 2026

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The "The Two Towers" is the title of the second of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy written by J.R.R. Tolkien[1]. In the novel, they are two dark towers engaged in the war against Middle Earth. Here, I allude to two separate towers: one, the collective, evoking the Tower of Babel described in Genesis 11, and the second, the individual, as a "tower of strength" as depicted by Number 6 in "The Prisoner".

The Tower of Babel tells of man's attempt to unite and build a tower with which to invade Heaven. It is symbolic of the collective, as in the collective, man is defining a moral code apart from God, as Adam and Eve did by the eating of the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil", and then invading heaven by its own rules. In fact, the European Union has adopted Bruegel's painting "The Tower of Babel" as the blueprint for its parliament buildings.

The Prisoner Series: 

A look at Community versus the Collective based in the television series "The Prisoner"

The Contrast between Community and the Collective

The individual is embodied by Number 6's cry during each show's opening, "I AM A FREE MAN". However, the individual does not stand alone, but is a member of what I call community. There are stark contrasts between community and an atheistic, authoritarian collective.

For a community to function properly, it must be founded on Christianity. The collective is an atheistic facsimile of a Christian community. The further it moves away from its Christian roots, the more sordid it becomes. It began with an optimistic view that, by reason alone, a utopian society can emerge. It failed. As time went on, it moved farther from its Christian roots until we are where we are today--the Age of Non-reason, the post-modern world[2].

In the community, all are accountable to God. In the collective, all are accountable to the state.

The members of the community hold to a biblical world view. Law exists to restrain aberrant behaviour. The members of the collective hold to an atheistic, post-modern world view governed by feelings. Crime is not the criminal’s fault as he is the product of his environment. Rule of law is meaningless, so arbitrary law is often imposed.

In the community, God is king and, as we are made in the image of God, the individual is king. In the collective, the King is God or rather the state is God. There are many examples of this. Adolph Hitler was idolized by his people as was Mao Tse-Tung. Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin also enjoyed such adulation. These leaders exalted themselves. The writer Ayn Rand said this in her book “Atlas Shrugged”[3], through the character Dagny Taggart when she confronts her brother James, a government official.

The community comprises individuals. People in the collective are part of the village, constantly seeking the approval of others. We see this with people constantly virtual signalling and waiting for clicks and “like”s.

The community is founded on truth, the collective on lies and deception.

People in the community are characterized by humility, the people in the collective by malicious narcissism.

The community rewards individuals who are diligent, hard working and creative, where, ultimately, creativity comes from God. The collective pounds individuals into submission. There is no reward for creativity or hard work so the collective declines. Venezuela is a prime example. It was a very wealthy nation until it voted in a socialist government which maintains power by rigging elections. It was not long before the people were reduced to gleaning the city dumps for........

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