chapter 6

“We live in a society that encourages us to think that the social world begins and ends with individuals.” Before reading chapter six, What it all has to do with us I never really realized just how independent and defensive a lot of people are. This chapter explains that individualistic thinking is paralytic. To break this paralysis we need to not hide it or mock the issues, and to realize that the individualist model is wrong. He states that we need to learn that our problem is as a whole, a society or system, not just individually. He also makes a good point in saying we only choose the path in which we can see. His example gave me something to think about. He states if you walk onto an elevator you naturally stand facing the way in which you are going to exit. But when someone turns the other way in the back people stare and pressure is felt to do what everyone else is doing. Or when playing monopoly the competitors find themselves becoming very greedy when they themselves are not the greedy type. Johnson describes how our society is not made through and individual, but a group of people. Johnson makes his point saying the “good” people are silent on too many things. He sums up this chapter saying our power thrives in if we choose to follow that path or not.
After reading through chapter six on what it all has to do with us, I started to realize that I do take part in a lot of things just to avoid conflict. I as he has stated, stand on an elevator facing the exit, and I get very greedy in the game of monopoly. But why society does this and who all started it is what stuns me. All the complications and the hatred had to start somewhere. If someone were to make an offensive joke in front of everyone and me laughed would I laugh to? That question is hard and it kind of reflects upon everything that is being discussed in this chapter. To be quite honest before I read this I more then likely would have laughed reflexively. But now, after realizing I have no reason to laugh and I shouldn’t be ashamed to not laugh I probably would not. So what does it all have to do with me? It has everything because in the end we are the society, and we are the ones who chooses the paths in which it flows.