The problem with Rebellious Individuation In the American ideal, the cowboy roles into town, solves problems and leaves alone. The colonists, in their drunken mayhem seceded from the crown and set forever the precedent of the rebel idea in our cultural narrative. (In colonial times drinking water was considered unsafe and even the punch given to children was alcohol laced for disease prevention. The bar tab of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was $5,000 dollars...a LOT of money in those days). Today the Maverick ideal is repeatedly represented adorning the cover of Forbes and are, themselves, the measure of success (not all those who helped them)...imagine as two guys in a garage stand up to the Overlords with an ingenious product in hand, shouting F@ck You! The cowboy doesn't need anyone. They may have a dalliance with a female prize then leave alone. The problem with this story is, it's not real. We don't know our neighbors. We don't talk to strangers in the street. We keep large personal space when speaking and rarely touch. We fear races that aren't ours and avoid subcultures that wear different dress or enjoy the 'wrong' music. The piazza town square and town center has faded to antiquity. The rich hole themselves up in fancy castles and scream inside at their (familial) subjects and keep yard working servants at arms length. There are the special rebels, then everyone else. We live guided by a superconscious directed quest for loneliness. Once in a while people find a one night stand and in drunken stupor get lucky...for the night enjoying company, yet to be so close to others as to mingle at a dance/bar, no less than a stupefied state is required (to overcome the social anxiety of human interaction). Short of imbibing required substances, we are uncomfortable with direct contact. Everyone is defined by role and function, pharmacists/teachers/firefighters etc. are enjoyed in school/business settings, yet rarely are invited for social meetings outside the prescribed parameters. As individuals the rebel mentality is used as a means to justify errant behavior, that which is destructive to the individual and the families that surround them. I took a new formulation of a personality test. I was shocked to read the results that described me to a 't'. The results even listed the careers I am suited for (all the things I have longed to be) as well as the careers I ought to avoid (which accurately listed the endeavors nightmarish to my constitution and manner). The very next day after taking this exam I was emailed a description of my Horoscope sign, that described my ways and perspectives in uncanny detail. These caused me to realize I am not unique. I have long felt that I am able to foresee what others do not, and with this unique mindset could (and would) sidestep regular planning and rote proceedures. This caused trouble. I later became keenly aware of my mental illnesses as a divisive factor, invariably separating myself from my brethren. These realizations facilitated a notion of uniqueness/specialness that judiciously removed me (in my assessment) from having to play by the rules. I was a rebel. My means justified my aims, and being the only one to comprehend either, would play the 'special' card to exonerate any and all questionable actions. Bolstered by the celebration of the unique rebel individual in our society, I saw it fit to do as I wanted, regardless of who or whom I may frustrate or hurt in the process. As the years past, my stubborn and foolish pride became relentless, and the inexcusable had become the norm. In short I had become disconnected, with little hope of reason getting through to me, nor allowing those who cared for me to reel me in to any logical structure. This is extreme, yet all Americans do this to a large extent. I then heard a Philosopher explain that if someone we generally respect and agree with presents arguments contradictory to our beliefs, perhaps we ought to listen and consider. We make snap judgments about our fellows based on the messages on t-shirts they display, as if we can determine at a glance who to avoid. In avoidance we miss the wisdom that may be garnered from everyone and everywhere. We become stubborn in our foolish pride, and so wrapped up in our notions of right and wrong we further distance ourselves. Our sufferings remain secret, thinking surely the good normal people wouldn't experience hideous defects...though we enjoy tabloids that illuminate the opposite. In short our quest for rebellious individualism is a lonely disconnectedness leading to further hierarchies and stratifications.