Indviduality vs. the Greater Good Part 1

What is the future of humankind? Will we overcome our weaknesses and have peace? Is peace necessary for the greater good? Does individuality conflict with the greater good?

What is the greater good?

I myself define the greater good as being "good for everyone" and the "solution to the world's problems." You may disagree, however, since "good" is a word which people use to define actions they find pleasing, "good" is subjective in nature. If goodness is subjective in nature, then the greater good must be found in what the majority of people consider good. There are many conflicting opinions on what is good, but most will agree that eliminating war, hatred, and intolerance would be for the greater good, so we will use this as our example. In effect, we may be focusing on only a part of the greater good, but we can be fairly certain most people will agree with it.

How can we achieve the greater good?

The simplest way to achieve the greater good would be complete understanding of and co-operation with other people, essentially uniting humankind as one being. War could be avoided by removing arguments, and working together for common goals. Hatred would no longer be a problem since the barrier of understanding would be removed, and combined with co-operation any disputes could easily be resolved. Intolerance would be non-existent because everyone would understand the other person's perspective. The greater good can be achieved by a small change in people.

The problem with causing everyone to work together for common goals through understanding and co-operation is that it removes individuality. There is no room left for opposing ideas and thoughts, as humankind would have common goals and understanding. This limits humankind to one kind of approach - a unified approach to everything. Individuality would not be an option for a unified humanity.

Next in this series:
A discussion about individuality - What is it, how it works, and how does it differ from the greater good?