Two Tributes (A Commendation and The Importance of the Individual)

Well now that I have some time, I can address a few different topics that have been in my thoughts lately. As I had said previous, one topic is a person that I personally know, and the other topic is a person that I have only read about.

The person who I know (who will not be named here) is someone I have not known for very long, but who I know a decent amount about. I see them as being above many other people in terms of intelligence and common sense for numerous reasons, but specifically for this: they may not be 100% in control of their life (are any of us fully?), but they at least make an intelligent effort to be on the right track, and they think of their life on a long term scale. It seems like this may be a fairly new way of thinking for them (I could be wrong about that), but I definitely and wholeheartedly commend them for making a step that many others are unable to make.

The second person is a man named John Stuart Mill. After studying his writings in one of my classes, I really connected with what he had to say. Mill stresses the importance of the individual in society, and claims that everyone should question the customs and traditions of their culture. If they find that those customs are right for them, they should, by all means, follow them, but if they do not feel that the customs fit in their lives, they should break away and find their own way of living.

Mill definitely valued the human mind, as he speaks about exercising it thoroughly. When an individual blindly follows the customs of another individual, he is simply conforming without question, and, in turn, not exercising his mind. When an individual questions and searches, he uses his powers of reason and deduction. He believed that there should be complete freewill of action and thought, as long as you do not impose the rights of others.

If the individual does not exercise their mind, then what reason is there for human existence? By breaking away from tradition, we are able to conceive new theories and ideas. Human progress is possible because of those who choose not to follow the norm. If we were all to conform, we should see no need to change the world around us. As Mill said, "...All good things which exist are the fruits of originality".