Helena Rosenblatt

It's just, again, it's an ism.

Isms are very often pejoratives.

And individuality is more about, you know, becoming the best person you can be.

developing yourself, your capacities of flourishing, individual flourishing.

Individualism today, we've become very much a narcissistic society, unfortunately, I think.

The more choices we have, that's better.

It's about, you know, I don't want to go on about sounding horrible about us today, but I do feel that we've become very inward-looking and narcissistic.

I really think that people are searching for meaning.

You mentioned that.

And I think that in order to go forward, we can draw on this history that we have and think and kind of recover this moral language of character, of shared responsibilities, of moral improvement, looking at all these things that we have now that our people before us for centuries didn't have and think of them as ways to see if we can improve ourselves.

develop our capacities and do good for everyone.

You know, it's funny when I talk this way, I'm constantly aware that I must be sounding silly somehow.

And it's a reflection of the cynicism that's in the culture, right?

Why is it somewhat embarrassing to speak about making or improving ourselves and doing good for society, keeping the common good in mind?

There's something funny there.

And I think that's a shame.

That's exactly right.

That's exactly right.

That's the danger.

But that's why we have to come together, at least, and discuss it and come to some kind of, I think, people come together.