From the author: Published in the magazine “Name” “The border between the individual and the mass is not between people, but within the individual itself” John Fowles They say that people are divided into mass and individuality. Creators and performers, genius and mediocrity. What to choose: personal uniqueness, or following patterns? How to become an individual, and what will you have to pay to gain your identity? Individual or flock “Every soul is measured by the greatness of its aspiration” A. France What is the meaning of uniqueness? The same is interchangeable. Days that are similar to each other are erased by time. People without opinions leave no mark. A person sounds proud only after finding his voice. What remains in the memory is unique. We strive for it and are afraid of losing it. People, things and events that are different from others fill us with energy and meaning. The individual is opposed to the flock. A community without individuality. What are its advantages? It is stronger and more dangerous. Supporters of collectivism believe that the individual exists for the sake of society, and must sacrifice himself for it. Individualists point out the deception contained in this. Society does not formulate goals; this is done for it by people who present their desires as the common good. From the standpoint of personality, collectivism is manipulation. However, in case of danger, the individual is less valuable than the survival of the species. The conflict between them is apparently fundamentally unresolvable. Nietzsche believed that there was an abyss between the individual and the crowd. Some are born for greatness. Others are a gray mass, inclined to form a herd. The first create their own morals, ethics and philosophy, confirming their right to lead. They glorify the courage of heroes and creators. The latter give birth to a religion of slaves, where obedience has become the main value. The heroic idea asserts the superiority of the individual over the crowd. Slave morality judges individuality as a sin. Psychoanalysts have found the roots of differences in children's upbringing. A person who has been subjected to a harsh upbringing does not find the strength to become himself, remaining dependent on the opinions of others all his life. At the same time, significant figures in the environment and society as a whole take the place of parents. Everything is done with their opinion in mind. Only those who grow up in an atmosphere of independence become true individuals. From Freud's point of view, a mass is a crowd of large, frightened children. His student Erich Fromm showed that only individuality can create a healthy society. A unified herd is capable only of a mad impulse, but not of creation. Only a people consisting of independent individuals can survive the trials of history. But a strong concern for one’s uniqueness is also dangerous. Jean Lacan described it as narcissism, morbid narcissism. The narcissist admires only himself, and rejects everyone who surrounds him. The brightest personality grows from the crowd like a flower from the soil, and cannot be completely free from it. The desire for independence often hides a fear of intimacy. Excessive dependence compensates for lack of confidence in one’s own strength. The secret of happiness is the balance between the individual and society. Society is more interested in its geniuses than they are in it. Uniqueness becomes a subject of study. Research has shown that it can be learned if desired. Traps for geniuses “Usually people fall from great heights because of the same shortcomings that helped them achieve it” G. LaBruyère There are several pitfalls on the path to individuality. The first is conformism. Fear of standing out from the crowd. The desire to be like others in everything, shameful among the creative elite, has ancient origins. The roots of dullness are in the instinct of self-preservation. The unique one is the most desirable for potential partners, but often dies before having time to continue the race. In the wild, anything bright becomes a prime candidate for prey. A butterfly that is too colorful will attract birds of prey. The striking color of one individual can destroy the entire flock, revealing its location. It is better to stay away from an unusual relative so as not to become someone’s lunch. The gray majority surrounds the individualist with a ring of alienation and outright hostility. Some species tend to kill those that stand out too much.People were the same. But peoples who exterminated the best do not live long. Another reason to keep a low profile is related to the desire for success. It is vital for us to learn from others. And we gain most of our skills by imitation. This is how they learn their native language and social norms, the basics of their profession and culture. Even modern education brings only a small part in comparison with what we took from those around us. Following patterns is necessary. Before becoming unique, you should first learn basic skills. There is a hidden trap in this. In order to survive and learn all the things we need, we have to give up individuality. But in order to achieve above-average results, or solve new problems, it is important to abandon memorized models. A rapidly changing world requires initiative, free search and new approaches. And long-term imitation manages to kill the ability to make independent decisions. As a result, the best students often later become failures. Futile attempts to overcome the contradiction between independence and imitation create learned helplessness. In this case, the individual, having made several unsuccessful steps, abandons the initiative and begins to seek external guidance. Severe external pressure leads to the same result. If all attempts to achieve what you want end in defeat, and any initiative is punished, the result will be a denial of independence and paralysis of the will. Those who feel helpless look for guides and intercessors. The leader is endowed with good qualities that have little connection with reality. Doubts are suppressed because the leader gives the herd the illusion of security. The greater the discrepancy between the imaginary and the real, the higher the aggression towards any manifestations of personal freedom. The society of the weak suppresses everything living, bright and capable of creation. And that’s why it withers away. Or loses to more daring neighbors. Mythology of uniqueness “Each person is worth only as much as he forces himself to be valued” A. Knigge Contradictions between uniqueness and mass give rise to hostility. In times of barbarism, it resulted in violence against the minority. Those who were at least a little different from their neighbors became victims of persecution and the hunt for heretics. Individuality was a challenge to society, bordering on crime. Or the privilege of geniuses who are completely self-absorbed. There are few bright people, and it took a while to learn to appreciate them. But through their work, the world is gradually changing for the better. Only an individual is capable of creating cultural values, scientific ideas and industrial technologies. Open hostility gave way to envy. Distrust of everything unusual has given rise to an extensive mythology that has taken root in the popular consciousness. The key to it is the myth of talent as a form of madness. By equating uniqueness with illness, the little person gets rid of the feeling of inferiority in front of a mind significantly superior to his own. From the same feeling comes the fantasy of the deep depravity and dissolute lifestyle of the creative elite. A person deprived of talent compensates for it with the illusion of moral superiority. At the same time, projecting their own secret desires onto others. However, individuality is really cramped within the framework of far-fetched norms. But to judge her, you need to rise to her level. However, it is easier to blame others than to put effort into developing your talents. Envy of talent strengthens the illusion of your own genius. To preserve it, they often resort to ostentatious aggression and claims to omniscience. Most of the disputes about high matters were born precisely from her. There is usually no way to convince self-proclaimed sages. Without basic knowledge, they easily judge everything. It is important for them to prove their uniqueness, which often manifests itself in shocking judgments, clothing and a lifestyle that imitates uniqueness. The desire for mediocrity to express itself is manifested in the desire for signs of attention. The pursuit of awards is not characteristic of talent. The Creator does not care about the assessment of his neighbors. He finds joy in the process itself. However, today creativity is inseparable from business, which is why the laws of marketing are increasingly invading the territory of pure art and academic»