Is Individualism A Sin?

 

I was wondering for last many years that Is Individualism A Sin? You talk to any one and every one and they will come up with the theory that individualism leads to egoism. Well I do not think so. 

Egoism:-

1. One devoted to one's own interests and advancement; an egocentric person.
2. limited to or caring only about yourself and your own needs
3. concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
4. An excessive or exaggerated sense of self-importance

Individualism:-

1. Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence.

Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own interests, whether by society, or any other group or institution.

I guess just the definitions will not solve the purpose of the post. I was having this huge argument with a friend of mine that "Is thinking about oneself is bad" . Well the argument lead to "thinking about only yourself all the time is bad" of which is pretty much agreeable. But the real questions arise:-

1. If you are hurt by one of your closed one? What are you gonna do?  Sit and cry about the fact or just be sad for sometime and then move ahead in life
2. Your loved one (*read Girlfriend/Boy friend ) ditched you, left you or you just broke up what you gonna do? Again sit and die over it? or just move ahead in life.
3. Don't you think thinking too much about others hurts you too much and of which you have got no control. So just leave it or keep crying and dieing over it?
4. Letting your pain of being ditched, left, cheated,lost someone should ruin your life or letting go all of this with out too much of trouble.
5. Saying some one upfront that you love him/her but with out him/her the life would not stop it will still move on a sign of less love for the person?

Well most of the people take these as a sign of egoism. Letting go something is sign of detachments. But is loving yourself more than anyone else is egoism? I don't think so. Life is given to us as a gift and we did nothing to get it, we did not earn it. Its a gift and what do we do with gifts? We take good care of it. So should not you take care of yourself and love yourself more than anyone else in the world. Jesus once said "Love your neighbour as you love your self"   Here the second line is more important and never ever focused by the analysts who analyzed this quote which is "As you love yourself" . Do we really love ourselves. We have never accepted ourselves as we are. We want physique like Bradd pit. figure like Megan fox, money like Bill gates. We disgust ourselves, we hate ourselves, we want to be some one else, we always think that the other person might think bad about us. So how can you love your neighbour when you don't love yourself.

"loving oneself is individualism not egoism."