We are all members of various communities. The American community, the Texas community, and, now, we are members of a community of men. But, as is often overshadowed, keep in mind that just because you are a member of a community does not mean that we are communal. The simplest common denominator in any community is the individual. Without the individual no community can exist.

I post this now because all around me I see a war being waged against the individual. The community is being put ahead of the individual. And, this is the wrong way of thinking. For true power and growth in PU, and life in general, is sourced from the individual...not from the community.

This marks the first in a series of posts that I will be making, the goal of which is to articulate my message of the individual. I intend to show you why relying on yourself and no one else is the best way to achieve your goals and live the life that you've always imagined.

And so it begins...

A quote from one of my favorite books (Fight Club):

We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives.

I believe this 100%. Without a doubt, we are a people searching for a 'great' purpose. A war to win. A mountain to conquer. A foe to destroy. I believe, whether we know it or not, that we're all searching for this purpose. That we walk through life scouring the world seeking our life's work.

I used to believe that my great war, my purpose, for that matter, our purpose was to turn ourselves from beta males to alpha males. My great war was win at the battle of the sexes, to turn the tables on women. The only problem was that this way of thinking led to creating two classes: the victor and the loser. If I picked-up a woman, then I won and she lost. This is not a healthy way of thinking.

Fortunately, everything is illuminated in the light of time.

As time has passed, I now realize that we do not need a great war or great social struggle to fulfill our purpose. I now realize that that purpose for which I was searching can be found on any reflective surface. My purpose followed me everywhere. I face it every day when I look in the mirror. My great war is struggling to live up to my expectations, to fulfill my potential. This is not just my great war, but yours as well. And in this war, there is no loser...just victory and achievement.

In the end, we are really all we have. There is nothing else. Patriotism, sacrifice, altruism, selflessness, charity, governments, societies, social movements...these things matter, but they all take a backseat to the individual. These things are the product of the individual, it is what we, collectively, create. But, the common denominator is the individual.

You are all you have.

But, what is 'that' that you have?

No matter what we think of ourselves, no matter what we wish to change, no matter what you want out of life you can achieve it if you embrace these two simple things:

The spirit of the individual, or rugged individualism, AND the culture of doing.