Guess what? Humans are social animals. We are made that way. We need the company of others to survive and to thrive. This does not mean just family, or friends, it means being part of a real community. That is where we should be based, But we aren't. As I wrote in a previous post here, the nuclear family in the west has divided us up into little boxes, neatly packaged, to divide us and serve the purposes of capitalism.
How many people live on my street. I would guess about 500. How many do I know? About 10 or so. How many are friends? Half a dozen. Why? Is it because I'm not sociable? I don't think so. I would guess that most people in the street are the same. They may know others because they are neighbours or because they meet at the school gates, or possibly the pub. But that's about it. Most people's visitors are family and friends, not locals.
This affects all of us, but we are so used to it, we hardly notice. Being separated into nuclear family units is good for neoliberal capitalism. As Margaret Thatcher said, "there is no such thing as society". Although it has been argued that this was taken out of context, there can be no doubt that the 'atomisation' of individuals suits those that exploit us. It weakens our agency as a collective. Real change has happened when we have come together, as in the solidarity and work of the Suffragettes, for example. Individualism, lauded by some, makes us weaker and easier to use and manipulate.
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| A suffragette being arrested. |
If you look at indigenous communities, they are collective. People work together and live together in a group. That is how we evolved and how we were made. That is how we should be living, but separation is so ingrained it will be difficult to bring about real change. However, there is nothing to stop us trying to build stronger communities by becoming active in community groups, with solidarity and mutual aid. The way the world is going, we are really going to need this.
