Work on society before you work on yourself

Acknowledging the effect of society on individuals is an impetus for the improvement of society. Understanding the faults of a system produces systemic change. Understanding the faults of individuals as the responsibility of individuals alone, whilst being more accurate for some, does not change the reality that individuals with these faults will continue to exist.

Following this framework, you can begin to recognise how the faults of individuals are also the faults of society. The distinction between the faults of individuals and the faults of society resists systemic change itself. They can instead be interpreted as one and the same. Thus, from the standpoint of an authority, regardless of one’s personal view, analysing the “faults of individuals” as the faults of a system will give the capacity to produce greater positive change. That is, if you agree with change itself.

Perhaps the argument can be made that there are faults which a good system cannot prevent, but the continued interpretation of these faults as errors to corrected by society allows for the fault to actually be corrected by society, should conditions differ over time.

Furthermore, change directed at culture/the superstructure via governance is inherently authoritarian, especially if there was no systemic management of that culture already. I wholly disagree of the micromanagement of an individual’s life using systems; this only occurs when faults are perceived to be of the individual’s consequence but the state’s to correct. The better method is to change the systems from which cultures are derived from, not to directly change the culture itself. It is why both boomers and SJWs are stereotyped as cringe despite representing opposing social values. Many are presented as agents of direct cultural change, totalising forces and without pluralism. Populist. (Obviously there is nuance to this, cultural movements are often created to oppose others which are more authoritarian.)

As a person

Problems vary in scale and responsibility. It is equally absurd to say “work on yourself before society” and to say “work on society before you work on yourself”.

It can be naive to think you can change large systems but it feels even more foolish to relinquish this solution. Some systems are small or malleable. Some individuals really should take the brunt of the responsibility for faults in their life. Yet it remains beneficial for societies to not disregard such faults entirely.

As a person, should the problems in life be handled by individuals or resolved through (arguing for) systemic change?

Yes.