What is it about the trend towards individualism and selfishness that makes many of us feel uneasy? The latest law changes (e.g., the Regulatory Standards Act) intend to lock this in through legislation, yet the whole world revolves around partnerships, relationships, or interactions between entities other than ourselves. Partnerships can be compared to atoms. Electrons, neutrons and protons hold together by electromagnetic and other nuclear forces. Atomic integrity is reliant on those three little sub-particles existing as an integrated whole, or else nuclear chaos ensues.

Atoms join with others to form molecules, again reliant on being held together by their sub-atomic elements, and so on, until we view the whole of Nature, which is one gigantic system of inter-related partnerships. Plants depend on soil that micro-organisms keep healthy by working together to enable the various earth elements to sustain life. Partnership is the way the whole world holds together. It is also the way social systems survive, including Ti Tiriti, which conservative groups deny is a partnership.

There is nothing in the universe that isn't in some sort of relationship with something else. Nothing exists in isolation. The smallest atoms, the trinitarian concept of God or the multiple gods of other religions, the imperative to take care of the Earth like in a parent/child relationship (Genesis 2:15), the social contract that is the basis for civilisations - everything interacts in collective motion with something.

Cooperation is required to maintain balance and goodwill no matter where it applies, otherwise partnerships eventually deteriorate into power plays that can lead to tyranny if no brakes are applied, in which case social disorder can be expected. To disregard or unbalance partnerships or cooperation or agreements between parties of whatever type, results in the original purpose of the relationship being destroyed and the sense of cohesion lost. It is like a part of the atom splitting off - with very damaging results.

The Social Contract

There can be no room for selfishness. The social contract includes justice, truth, relative equitability and respect all held together in balance. If these diminish then the opposite strengthens - injustice, deceit, inequality, disrespect and ill will; fuelling the imperative towards power and control in those who hold on to power. Relationships with other forms of life in the environment are ignored at our peril. Witness the mass extinction we are living through - pollution of air and water, and despoiled landscapes from an overheating planet.

Degraded Nature cannot lead to personal wealth or beneficial social outcomes in the long run but to eventual destruction, with the associated social unrest. This in turn is used to justify the strong law and order stance taken by so many on the political Right, whose proponents want to control the effects rather than addressing the causes of social ills. Yet it is much more efficient and cheaper to foster harmonious relationships in communities, or to keep agreements from the beginning, to prevent negative outcomes. Likewise, it is far cheaper to reduce pollution to protect the planet than to clean up the various catastrophes afterwards.

Cooperation, Not Selfish Individualism

Humanity and other species have survived through cooperation. It builds strong bonds. Laws have been established to prevent selfishness from prevailing, but they have been over-ridden, especially by the current materialistic way of life that has spread around the world. Cooperative relationships are so essential that nobody can survive without them; they help people stay well, adapt and thrive through mutually beneficial, reciprocal encounters, either direct or indirect.

From atoms to Nature to society, everything interacts in multitudinous, constantly moving systems of actions - reactions, adjustments, and further movements, which gradually evolve into something new. Social movements operate akin to atmospheric waves that affect the Earth, through the teachings and practices of philosophies, cultures and the religions, although over much longer timespans. If aspects of the relationships become unbalanced, societal breakdown results, with the reactive "need" to control the angry actors, thus we get tyranny. Throughout history civilisations have come and gone, usually after some sort of balance has been upended.

So, in light of this outlook, it is puzzling that the prevailing ethos as espoused by neoliberalism, is one of competition, winner takes all, profit at the expense of others, personal advantage over the weak - in other words survival of the fittest, where power becomes the dominating ethos. Emphasising rights of individuals without corresponding responsibilities weakens trusting social connections or strong family ties where others are needed for our well-being and dignity. It encourages selfishness where dominating power is accepted and competition for survival becomes a necessity, demeaning both parties while distracting from the need to cooperate for collective wellbeing.

The economics of selfishness ignores the value of service to others, especially by omitting unpaid work in economic calculations. The Regulatory Standards Act will cement an ethos of selfishness with its emphasis on protecting private property for individuals over the rights of the environment or respect for Māori cultural values. Ultimately, we can expect the rise of undemocratic, authoritarian control of society, which risks social disintegration (like in the split atom example), if we fail to cohere for the common good of everyone. Note what is happening in the USA.

Individualism and selfishness have become built into our institutions, businesses and lifestyles. The concepts have been taught especially since the neoliberal turn in the 1980s when we heard that "greed is good". It is particularly so now in New Zealand with the Regulatory Standards Act and general emphasis being on the single bottom line. There seems to be little concern for the wider picture or shared responsibilities towards others or the environment, or for those whose cultures don't align with competition and materialism.

Emphasising the single bottom line to the exclusion of Nature and the social good as propounded by neoliberal dogma, especially by the current Government coalition whose policies reflect more those espoused by the Atlas Network than by ordinary Western democracy, has left the lesser resourced to fend for themselves. This view is then used against them to prove the point that only the fittest are worthy of survival, even though their struggle was caused by social justice being disregarded! Social breakdown becomes problematic due to the imbalance of power where human suffering, often expressed as antisocial behaviour, is sneered at by those needing to control and feel superior.

"Survival Of Fittest" Is Misrepresentation Of Nature

Survival of the fittest is part of libertarian philosophy. This ethos has developed to the point where freedom, personal sovereignty and liberty now permit unbridled license for the most powerful. But the phrase "survival of the fittest" is a misrepresentation of Nature when applied to the history of peoples; the term describes prey/predator relationships found in wild Nature where predators kill only for need, and where nothing is wasted.

Contemporary society proves itself to be uncivilised if it really believes that humans operate by brute force. Its profligate waste is leading to its peril. It is through cooperation and helping others in need that humanity reveals the degree to which it is civilised. Cooperation builds resilience in families, cultures and other species in Nature, enabling them to survive multiple stresses, threats and disasters. It is disheartening to realise that adopting the predatory life view makes cultures and systems weaker and less civilised.

Selfishness, which is fostered by materialism and which feeds the ego, excludes being considerate towards others, promotes a sense of entitlement, in turn creating grief and ill will in those on the receiving end - and where there is absence of good will there is no peace. Religious scriptures teach us to operate in harmony with others and Nature. In the Judeo-Christian Bible, from Genesis onward the message is to work in partnership with God and Nature, the latter which includes caring for Mother Earth. People have distorted the concept of "having dominion over" to "dominating" others and the environment. It is hubris to disregard the imperative to care; to care requires listening to others, viewing the wider picture and cooperating for the common good.

The call of the prophets is to love by showing justice to the disadvantaged so that they have sufficient food and shelter to live with dignity, and that even Nature worships God. It entails being other-centred and putting oneself out for those in need. The world would be a more stable and happier place if such civilising principles were practised, rather than attitudes and actions that lead to eventual tyranny over the weak. But preventing tyranny requires moral leadership and an appreciation of the concept of reciprocity — of shared obligations between citizens, and systemic safeguards against the unhealthy ambitions of rulers.

Nature provides us with perfect examples of partnerships where every creature has a place in keeping our environment in a life-affirming state. The same creatures that build a healthy environment for us ultimately become food for other species to thrive, yet nothing is wasted. Once food webs are broken, other parts of the food chain can't thrive because the interactive elements are missing, so we see ecological break down.

Extracting specific resources requires the destruction of surrounding environments, which destroys the environment for other species relying on such places to thrive (sorry Shane Jones, Freddie the Frog IS important in its special niche!), and when species that are our food sources become scarce, we have fewer options. When agricultural crops are destroyed by climate phenomena and pests due to the environmental degradation caused by selfishness, food shortages are the result.

Humanity's Hubris

In Nature, dead zones and environmental breakdown ensue once elements are removed at industrial scale, evident now around the world on land, in the air and in water bodies, and the phenomenon is growing. It is analogous to the destructive consequences of split atoms. In Nature we see how humanity's hubristic use of energy has heated our planet, destroying ocean, air and land health - witness the floods and droughts, fires and food crop losses, to say nothing of the physical infrastructures and assets that keep societies afloat.

The consequences are rising sea levels, rising insurance premiums and other unknown outcomes. At the societal level, once agreements are broken, those who are disregarded object, which contributes to ill will and eventual disharmony, due to those in power abusing it fearing that the others want to take it from them. The beginnings of tyranny correspond with the strengthening of the political hard Right around the world.

Every single thing is connected to something else, in ways that are not always obvious because humanity does not know how all those single things are interconnected. The power brokers and super wealthy don't seem to worry since they feel secure in their wealth, blinded by the fact that the assets they hide behind are the result of smaller elements contributing to their wealth, and that those same assets stand to be destroyed once the consequences of their own philosophies promoting selfishness are strong enough. We are starting to see this now with the record-breaking climate phenomena destroying property and lives, the consequences of humanity's greed, being experienced worldwide.

As we constantly see storms, droughts, floods, crop losses, wars and broken agreements in the news, we wonder how the world got into such a sorry state. Much of it stems from promoting the value of accumulating private wealth, of not wanting to share through taxation or to reduce pollution because that might reduce profits. Greed has developed particularly egregiously since the 1980s and now its natural conclusion is visible globally - currently, global CO2 pollution levels are approaching 430ppm; various misrepresentations and injustices, including Ti Tiriti injustices in New Zealand, ill will and negative environmental consequences prevail.

No Justice, No Peace

And where great wealth resides alongside insensitivity to the plight of others living in poverty, such inequality builds resentment. Civil unrest is generated, as has happened at local scales throughout history and which is worsening now globally. Injustices and pollution of various types are now global. This needs to change if humanity has any chance of survival.

Is a solution possible? Yes! Best of all by showing that we are living by civilised convictions and cultivating an attitude of service to others. That requires the humility to listen before acting with justice. Individuals can raise awareness of issues, write letters and submissions, belong to small communities of interest to maintain emotional equilibrium, get involved in some sort of community action, attend church, or contribute in some other way.

Research shows that concern for others and the wider picture is life-enriching and that people who contribute for the greater good generally live longer and healthier lives. The economics of selfishness is antithetical to democracy because it does not allow for reciprocity, dialogue or respect, while paving the way for tyranny. Those who do things for others are more fulfilled in life than those who live for themselves. Those who live selfishly impinge on the rights of others, which, once again, leads to ill-will; and where good will is absent there is no peace.

Watchdog - 170 December 2025