Sociopolitical Philosophy Of Individualism

In all my years, I have never heard a commencement address; and yet, here I am to convey one to all of you. Admittedly, I did peruse a few beforehand so that I could repay the university for this honor with a few words of advice; but I have never heard a commencement speech in person. Anyways, I will begin my address. In the short amount of time that you have been on this planet, you have been educated upon the sociopolitical philosophy of individualism, which advocates independence, self-reliance, self-interest, and almost anything that has to do with you. I am not going to argue that these attributes are not beneficial—because they are. However, these qualities are often polarizing when individualism is in conflict with collectivism. By nature, insects like ants, termites, and bees are collectivists; they work together to achieve a common goal for the purpose of furthering their species. This is what mankind should strive to achieve. But why should mankind espouse the principles of pathetic pests, one might ask. A pragmatic answer to that is: because it works satisfactorily. But our current system works satisfactorily, right?
In fact, the conditions within Baltimore, MD are comparable to that of Ibadan, Nigeria in some areas of the city. It is unacceptable for American citizens to live in poverty and in conditions comparable to those of a third-world country when we have a federal government that is capable of collecting fifty cents a day from each American to help those that are struggling within our own country. It must be our civic responsibility to help other citizens of our own country. Whether you think that I am an ignorant idealist or a brilliant visionary, it is important that as you move forward in life that you look ahead towards the future for the sake of future generations, but not too far towards the future as to forget