Tension Between a Society, Essay Example

The tension between and individual and the society becomes apparent when both of their needs are examined. The tension arises when the needs of the society and an individual are radically different. To resolve these tensions, there has to be a compromise between freedom and happiness. At any rate, individuality often prevails for individual and the society to survive. This paper examines three readings to justify the above underlying assumptions.

In his works, Baldwin (1-5) shows how the society has the capacity to envisage ideas for either short-term or long-term advantages societal interests despite bringing harm to individuals’ interests. In his view, individual aspirations to be greater in the American society were helpless at the mercy of social aspiration. He suggests”… One did not have to be very bright to realize how little one could do to change one’s situation; one did not have to be abnormally sensitive to be worn down to a cutting edge by the incessant and gratuitous humiliation and danger one encountered every working day, all day long” (Baldiwn 4). What he implies is that for the society to be successful, the individuals have to cooperate, as well as work for the good of each other. However, this brings tension between an individual who aspires to fulfil common good at the expense of the societal good. This is why Rodriguez speaks of racial abuse. Rodriguez (126) shows how he listened to his aunts speak of how the social values in America were racial, and how Mexicans were mistreated in Mexican borders, leading to tension between the whites and people of color.

Within this regard, it helps to think of a society as a community of individuals who must depend on the friendly interests that individuals take in each other’s qualities of character and mind and show concern for attaining common interests. Drawing from this perspective, it becomes clear why individuals are usually concerned with the qualities of character and mind of those they depend on to influence them as their leaders. Possibly, they wish to make sure that those they elect as their confidantes or leaders have their values at heart and, therefore, have the potential to contribute to a common good. What Rodriguez (121) attempts is to give a vivid picture of the detrimental implications of traditional societal values to an individual. For instance, the Mexicans permitted to work in the American farms during the 1950s worked very hard for meagre pay. They would then send whatever money they earned to Mexico to support their families (Rodriguez 121). In such a case, they worked for the overall good against the individual interests. By laboring for little pay and sending the money for the general wellbeing of the societies at home, mean sacrificing or compromising their individual happiness and freedoms.

Individuals in the society are, therefore, likely to act collectively for the benefit of the society, based on expectations of mutual good will, benefit or trust. This may have several benefits including the fact that people will tend to care for the general wellbeing of each other because each individual’s welfare is significant for the societal wellbeing. Indeed, such a situation relates to what is typical with members of a family, as what the society views as success or unfortunate state of one member usually generates a general sense of goodwill in the family. This is what Rodriguez (122, 123) suggests, in describing his family’s ‘confused’ state with different faces that do not resemble his own. Despite these differences, no one mentions them. However, outside, every one notices his dark skin. Hence, while the needs of the society are concerned with ensuring the benefit of each individual in the society, the individual needs are concerned with ensuring an individual’s sole benefit. Therefore, when it comes to fulfilling the societal needs, the emphasis is on providing an excellent life for each member of the society to ensure general happiness. In such a situation, individuals have to hide or suffocate their desires. This is what Kingston (2) shows in his statement that, the “fear at the enormities of the forbidden kept his aunt’s desires delicate, wire and bone.” On the other hand, an outcome of fulfilling individual needs is that, happiness is provided for one without regard for consequences an individual’s actions have on others. This shows the conflict of value between the society and an individual. Essentially, therefore, the tension occurs mostly in the realms of morality while its emphasis and essence lie in the conflict between societal interest and individual interest.

The conflict is also moralized because of an individual’s inner ideas and feelings or personal life issues, and the need for the society to put all these under moral evaluation to ensure that the social needs come first while the individual needs are overlooked. This is what Kingston (2) implied when he stated that, “… the work of preservation demands that the feelings playing about in one’s guts not be turned into action” (2). What this means is that traditional morality is a significantly values morality of good over evil. In such a case, people’s actions viewed to benefit the society are likely to be evaluated as moral. The conflict of values from traditions is, therefore, essentially, the moral conflict between what is perceived to be good for the society, and what should be perceived as evil. It is the same as what Rodriguez reveals of racial abuse. Rodriguez (126) shows how he listened to his aunts speak of how racism was legitimized in America, and how Mexicans were mistreated in Mexican borders, leading to tension between the whites and people of color. In fact, therefore, a conflict between the place of an individual within a society and the societal need to create order, structures and traditions exists. In a society perceived to be healthy, the traditions and order may be a source of happiness and general satisfaction. Still, while an individual in the society will benefit from the order and tradition, the individual also aspires for freedom to make life choices rather than restrictions. In such a case, an individual’s needs and the needs of the society are in conflict.

The main idea is that while the benefits to the society are also expected to provide benefits to individuals, since the needs of the society and that of the individuals are different, there is a likelihood of tension or conflict between them. Indeed, it is the inflexibility of the society and the desire to the create stability that led to the problems of racism that Rodriguez (126) and Baldiwn (4) faced based on their black color. In fact, the key issues in the readings are concerned with the tension social morality and individual freedoms. The social moralities legitimized in the society restrict the freedom of choice. Hence, conflict arises between people’s freedom of choice and the moral obligation of the society to protect the welfare of the society.

The readings show several issues that give insight into the scope of individual choice and that of societal actions. First, the society limits an individual’s freedom of choice when that particular choice is perceived to be causing unnecessary harm to the members of the society. Kingston (1) shows how the Chinese society limited individual women’s freedoms. The Chinese social values believed that, giving birth outside marriage was immoral, despite the harms these beliefs brought to people. Kingston mentions a case where his father’s sister killed herself and how his father and the larger society wished he had not been born.  Next, the society limits freedom of choice when individual’s actions have social implications that violate universally held values, traditions or beliefs. For instance, Rodriquez (124) shows how associating with black violated universality held beliefs of white supremacy. Rodriquez (127) shows how his mother mentioned how people with dark skin had limited freedom and how they were relegated to farm workers. Rodriquez (124) and Kingston (1) showed that freedom of choice is permitted when such implications when the implications are restricted to those making the decisions. Additionally, freedom of choice is allowed on the issue that are backed by plurality of the majority views, and when such views are anchored in well-established moral beliefs and a plurality of views.

Conclusion

To eliminate the injustices that social needs and traditions inflict on the individuals, the needs of both the society and the individual must be balanced. Finding a balance between the needs of the two entities requires determining whose needs should be given priority and their impacts on the society and individuals.