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Individualism is advancing.

A self-centered viewpoint may create conflict.

Our autonomy is valuable but so is our community.

Many feel the world has become colder in recent years—publicly and privately.

The news seems dominated by hateful events and politics that aggressively pursue their interests without regard for others. After decades of building coalitions among nations that stand for social justice and democracy, we seem to have regressed to the dark ages of forcing national interests using military and/or economic power rather than sensible consensus-building in the interest of the world community.

In our communities, we have seen a similar trend toward individualism, emphasizing autonomy and self-fulfillment. In Western societies, the latter are being marketed to consumers to boost consumption.

Generally, societies balance individualism with collectivism, i.e., the interests of single members vs. those of the community. Both are important, and too much emphasis on one negatively impacts the other. Balance is the key concept in life, and given recent trends, we may wonder whether the balance of interests is well maintained in our communities.

What does love have to do with it? Love demands that we begin any dealings with others with the understanding that we are all the same and are all inherently good. Indeed, most people are good and remain so throughout their lives, caring for others and the environment.........

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