Individuals and Communities

Individuals of a particular culture make a community. Both are inter-dependent, has own sphere of activity and it is important to know the relationship between the individual and the community. The individual is free to lead his life, as he pleases, but at the same time he is expected to follow the norms and customs of the community to which he belongs. If he is wise, he keeps a nice balance between his own preferences and those of the community. In our times, clashes between individual and the community are on the rise. The reason is simple: the individual regards himself to be an island, accountable only to himself or to his immediate family, whereas the community regards itself to be superior to any individual and likes to shape his life according to its own set norms and traditions. For example, there are many communities in our country which do not allow inter-religion or inter-caste marriages. Some of them even disapprove marriage within the same ‘gotar’. The individuals who want to go in for such types of marriage, therefore, come into direct clash with the heads of their community. Sometimes their clash result in needles violence. Honour killings are the result of such clashes. Then there are other types of clean-shaven are almost expelled from the community. They are dubbed as ‘Patits’, are denied the right to vote for their highest religious body. It is important for the health of society to have a good and healthy balance between the individual and the community. The individual should not rebel on petty issues. The community should also be progressive and broad-minded. It must move with the times. It should not force an individual to do what to do what he or she does not like.