The Individual in the Community

I believe the role of the individual in his/her community is to first take care of oneself and make sure one's own problems are under control. Of one has their individual concerns taken care of then the community need not worry about that individual. If someone fails to take care of himself then others will be forced to intervene and the community as a whole suffers. For instance, a football team is a community. If the star quarterback is unable to deal with his personal and professional issues, then his performance on the field suffers, and thus, the performance of the team suffers. But, if everyone on the team works hard, does their job, and does not bring personal problems to the game (or practice), then the team benefits. So it is with a community.

This applies to a country (or state, or town) as well. Taxes, for example, are hated by most, but without them there would be no way to pay for street repairs, police, or any other public service. This ideology could apply to voting too. So many people think their vote is small and insignificany, but if everyone thought that way, then we would get nowhere, and the country does not function properly. If everyone sacrifices just a little, the country will benefit as a result. Have you ever heard the expression 'you only get what you give'? Well in this case, you get a lot more than what you give.