[nabs-l] Individualism and Following a Leader

[Sophie Trist]

I don't believe that following a leader in an organization 
infringes on individualism. In fact, I believe that in some 
cases, joining organizations can actually promote individualism 
because it allows people to meet others who have the same 
interests and goals as they do, and a group can do more than one 
person alone. The organization is made stronger because it 
receives input from lots of different people, and it must accept 
that those people won't always agree. An organization that 
promotes individualism is one that accepts disagreement and takes 
all ideas into account. If an organization refuses to 
accknowledge any view but its own, it's stifling individualism. 
I've only been a member of the NFB for a few years, but it's 
changed me, made me a better, stronger person. I've realized a 
lot about my abilities and responsibilities as a blind person. So 
I believe that joining an organization can and does change an 
individual's identity. The task of the individual is to assess 
that change with the synicism that Justin talked about. We should 
examine ourselves to see how our affiliations with others have 
changed us. And if we like what we see, great! If we don't like 
how an organization has changed us, we should take a look at why 
we're following that leader and see if it's really worth it.
 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Zachary N. Griego-Dreicer via nabs-l" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>,National 
Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 00:53:08 -0600
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Individualism and Following a Leader

It's a great morning! I'm in Complete agreement with you. 
Choosing to be a part of an organization only makes the 
organization stronger. I do not believe it would make an 
individual weaker
 Thank you.

Sent from my iPhone 5S Using VoiceOver

 On Jun 22, 2014, at 0:31, Justin Salisbury via nabs-l 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:

 Fellow Federationists:

 Let us have a discussion thread about the relationship between 
individualism and following a leader. It appears to me that our 
generation has been taught to focus heavily on individualism, 
especially in questioning the ideas presented to us by leaders 
and establishments. I appreciate this part of my upbringing, but 
sometimes I wonder if this modern way of thinking can lead us to 
maintain our distance from an outfit in which we might have 
otherwise more actively embraced.

 I have analyzed organizations for years as an outsider and, 
sometimes, as a member. For me, two primary organizations stand 
out as ones where I have come to trust the intentions of the 
leadership: Epsilon Chi Nu Fraternity (the first Native American 
fraternity) and the National Federation of the Blind. Epsilon Chi 
Nu was founded to help Native American men graduate from college, 
and it has added a general purpose of helping native men be the 
best we can be. We are based in love and trust, and we understand 
that we are stronger together than individually, especially as we 
try to create a more positive image of native men than the 
stereotypes perpetuate. I don't have to tell you what we do in 
the National Federation of the Blind, so I would now like to pose 
some questions:

 Does following a leader or identifying with an 
establishment/organization infringe upon one's ability to be an 
individual?

 Are we relinquishing any of our own identity if we identify with 
an organization?

 Is an organization a collection of individuals, and do they have 
individual voices?

 Is it an individual decision to follow a leader or identify with 
an organization?

 I look forward to reading all provided opinions.

 Yours,

 Justin Salisbury
 Board Member
 National Association of Blind Students
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