Individualism in Habits of The Heart Essay -- essays research papers

Habits of The Heart create a vision of the middle ho engagehold Ameri cease life with all its good, bad, strengths and weaknesses. Its examines the conflict that exists between individuality and club of interests in this country, as well as how these conflicts effect our ability to systema skeletale relationships with others, whether it is in a public arena or our own adumbrate relationships with family and friends. The very word personal identity means to look out for piece one, it implies a me society that has lost its way from the way it use to be. The title Habits Of The Heart creates images of love, faith, hope and commitment to others, a sense of be to something larger than yourself. Does individualism really exist, or is it that people tend to immobilise where they came from and how much they really are influenced by family, community and others around them.In Habits Of The Heart Bellah et al write that they attempt to follow Tocqueville and call it individualism. Thi s they say is the first language in which Americans tend to think virtually their lives, values independence and self-reliance above all else (Viii). Americans separate work, family and community, when in fact, these worlds must(prenominal) be combined. We are hiding in such life-style enclaves, our isolated existence limits our ability to relate ourselves to a broader community. The virtue of community interaction lies in its ability to provide meaning to the frustrating mechanisms of political science and combat the inevitable loneliness of the separate self (Bellah et. al., 190). It seems our definition of achievement is related to our own individuality. Our view of success is rooted in the ending of competition among individuals. Americans seem quick to claim that we have each succeeded with their o... ...t create ourselves. That we owe what we are to the communities that helped form us(Bellah et. al., P. 295). We have a long history in this country of others who gave a nd sacrificed so much so we could have our present. We must understand that life is to be shared, it is not a race whose only goal is to he foremost (Bellah et. al., P. 296). It is to be lived. We must be committed to those we love, and to our communities. Maybe the longing for nostalgia in this country can help to return to a time when family, friends, community, church and more were historic and we all knew we were part of something greater than ourselves. We must however not live in the past, we must use the past to build and focus on the future.Work CitiedBellah, et.al.(1996). Habits of the heart Individualism and commitment in American life. Berkeley University of calcium Press.