Assertion Journal-- Studs Terkel

This is a response to Community in Action by Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel is an oral historian who lived through the Great Depression. His experience during the great depression shaped his views in communities. He admires the community above the individual because of these experiences.

Although I agree with Mr. Terkel that the community is important, the individual should always come first. The community is important for the soul purpose of bettering the individual. The individual is strengthened by the community. The reason we work in groups is to strengthen and enlighten the individual. The group may be graded as a group or as individuals, but we get more out of the teaching experience of telling our classmates or peers how to do something or what the specific meanings of a word is. This teaching experience is what strengthens us we grow through our experience.

The community is very important without the community we would have very little chance to grow as individuals. We need such institutions as public schools and libraries to learn and progress as an individual. Society has advanced because of the work and dedication of individuals. They may be working to make a community. They may be working to achieve some higher goal that only they can see. They are constantly striving to make a difference in the lives of others. An example of this extreme dedication is found in the life of Albert Einstein. He locked himself away for years sequestering himself from the outside world. He did not need the “community” to produce wonders in mathematics and science all he needed was his individual mind.

While I understand the need for a community for individual advancement, I do not feel that we constantly need the community. Without the community we might be society of introverts with mild social disorders. We should take everything that the community says with a grain of salt. It is not always right, and sometimes we need a little time to ourselves.