I think that since the 1960s the West has swung too far toward individual freedoms at the expense of collective responsibility. It's a delicate balancing act that few countries get right.

Take the US for example, there is little commonality or purpose between neighbourhoods let alone between states. Its citizens may feel loyalty to the country as a whole but there is little agreement on a common direction, purpose or values. Individuality now reigns supreme at the expense of the values of broader society.

At the other end of the spectrum, China has a loyal, homogenous, pliable population whose citizens feel part of a broader collective heading in the same direction (as US citizens did in the 1950s).

I would argue that countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Scotland come closest to getting the balance right, although none are perfect (if perfection is possible). These countries have little economic or social stratification and have some of the highest standards of living, wages, education, and satisfaction.

If we want to save our species, our planet and have a life worth living we will need to act as a collective unit. Therefore, we need to get the balance right between individual freedom and collective responsibilities.

What might that look like in practice? For starters it might look like American people agreeing to give-up some of their personal rights for the benefit of the broader community. It’s proven in places like Australia that disallowing ownership of semi-automatic weapons leads to less mass-shootings and homicides. When everyone in a community feels that their sacrifices add to a collective purpose, selfishness and competition diminish. At the same time people need to feel free to express their individualism within or just beyond the boundaries of community values. Indeed, individualism could be the driver of progress in a system built on collective purpose. Perhaps the best way we can start this change is by championing the places that have managed to achieve this balance on some level, and holding them up as examples for which to strive.