On Radical Individualism and Its Costs

The radical individualism that insists our fates and suffering are defined by our personal choices fuels an illusion that we are powerful and can take control of our lives.

This blinds us to the hyperobjects that are shaping the trajectory of our futures: climate emergencies, pandemics, oligopolistic economies, disruption from technology and fragmentation of real community and society. But though we can’t necessarily see them, we can feel their effects.

Hustle culture pushes our youth to ‘optimise’ themselves with productivity protocols. New age-y spiritual influencers encourage them to leave their woes for the universe to handle. But we’re neither machines to be ‘hacked’, nor magical pixies able to float above the realities we are served.

As social beings with hopes and dreams for ourselves, our loved ones and the world we live in, narratives that insist our fates are in ‘our hands alone’ alienate us from each other at a time when joining hands gives us the best chance of the support and power we need to alleviate our collective pressures.

In other words, how do we tell our youth: it’s not just a ‘you’ thing?

Thank you, Sue Adams, for putting this into words! Bamboo Being

Originally written for LinkedIn on 31 July 2025. View original →