How do you want me to be? It is now the axis of this extreme expansion of individualism. As it happened to all religions, this one seems to be now at its extremes. What could cause this might well be the mixture of individualism with the intense pursuit of social and cultural freedom. All of these appeared as necessities, of course. But since they started to be carried on flags, and heavy proselytism jumped in, deformities also showed up. Up until getting freed of individuality itself.

Erich Fromm envisioned it in 1947 when, in his “Man for himself”, described as the fourth malignant character type, the Marketing-oriented one. Since then, his theory got reinforced through several means, even scientific ones. But it’s not just that his vision was crystal clear. It slowly became a de facto standard.

The more carefully you look around, the more you will realize its presence. More to that, you will realize its presence even within you. Since it is most desirable to act and live according to this principle of “I am as you want me to be”, you will most certainly discover it even in your own tendencies.

Egalitarianism also got heavily involved in this. Fromm himself foresaw it when talked about equality being in fact replaceability. It turned into undifferentiation, and then into indifference. All that is unique or special in man, is undesirable, and not needed. At best called weirdness.

We are told that in order to be successful (for whatever that means), we need to learn how to market ourselves. And then you realize that you are not making friendships any more, but you are networking. This one being now (academically) hyped through the theory of scale-free networks applied onto human relations. The extraordinary model of computer networks being used to state examples for human relationships. The inanimate being a seemingly valid model.

After being affected, learning, and continuing to live in it, this perpetual neutral attitude is leaving out all that man has born with, all that is originally within, in his unique individual being. Superficiality replaces all. The sole stable one is the ever changing behavior. Thoughts, beliefs included. One has only characteristics that can be sold. Ephemeral ones, of course. As it is enough to act like it is expected, doesn’t have to be like that. And it is not only the surroundings that doesn’t care if one is really like that, but being comfortable with the looks only. Even the person itself projecting that image doesn’t care. It suffices to look like it.

To always be like is expected, one has to exclude all contrasts, all possible contradictions within. Thus the only solution is to get- and stay empty. As all traits of character have to be removable. If there is an inner conflict between the originally inner trait and role to be performed, those original traits have to go. It is not the role that goes, it is the inner trait. It is the way to getting freed of individuality itself.

Search: