Health sociologist Andrew Dickson wrote the following last week in response to the vaccine mandate protest in Wellington;
"The 1980s in New Zealand marked a beginning, a new type of living underwritten by individuality. This primacy of the individual grew constantly through the 1990s with the changing relationship between the citizen and the State. This thinking seems natural now, with ‘‘freedom’’ of choice the catch cry of the protest.
But this way of thinking is actually very new and contradicts so much of our human experience. Although we seem to be separate from others, we are actually bound tightly together through our families and our communities. We cannot live separated from each other, our decisions send ripples through the lives of others in all directions."
What he observed resonated with me. Graduating from teacher's college in 1990, I had experienced the sharp edge of that shift to the individualisation of learning objectives and programmes. As a parent in the early 2000s, I was impressed by the level of detail recorded in my children's pre-school learning portfolios. Their individual needs and achievements were well documented and illustrated. So much of what has transpired in this shift is good, particularly when it involves those traditionally without power or voice being able to flourish. People take control of their own situation and exercise autonomy over their body, health, life path, choices, family situation and career.
Church attendance reflects the societal shift to individualisation. It's really difficult to find a diehard Presbyterian, or even someone to articulate what that means. People want something that suits them and their needs. Traditional churches wring their hands but choice is king. People choose and vote with their feet.
The flip side of this is that so much of our life requires acknowledgement of community and the consideration of others. The obvious one is that we all generally consent to driving on the left hand side of the road and within certain legal norms. We could declare our freedom from this oppressive government restriction but it wouldn't end well.
The pandemic has caused us to re-emphasise the collective over the individual, and this has not sat well with everyone. When was the last time law abiding people were required to conform their social behaviour in such a way? Probably war-time.
Lent begins Wednesday (today) so I urge you to make it a season of peace prayer, of letting go of enmity, of holding in prayer; Aotearoa, Ukraine, the natural environment, the economy and so many friends who are struggling at this time.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine gives us a picture of what true disregard for freedom, self determination and peace looks like. I remain thankful for our (as yet) peaceful corner of the South Pacific. I hold my individual needs, rights and desires in tension with the life of the body, whether that be the church or the society in which I live.