Hyper-individualism leads to tribalism. People eventually rebel against the isolation and meaninglessness of hyper-individualism by joining a partisan tribe. This seems like relation but is actually its opposite. If a healthy community is based on mutual affection, the tribalist mentality is based on mutual distrust. If a healthy community is based

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individualism does not, by itself, contradict compassion; and neither is it synonymous with self-absorption. On the contrary: individualism allows compassion and social engagement to expand well beyond the confining boundaries of tribes. Moreover, often what makes strong social safety nets—the ultimate in compassion and engagement—possible is the

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Rugged individualism is still deeply enmeshed in American culture. And its myth is one of our biggest exports to the rest of the world. Rugged individualism is the philosophical foundation that convinces you that if you fail, it’s because you’re not good enough. Rugged individualism erases the impact of structural and systemic inequality.

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