Cultures (super-paradigms) are balanced by the 'perpendicular' yin-yang 'forces' of going in to detail and 'seeing' overview (skill vs creativity; inner focus vs outreaching; individualism vs collectivism; absolutism vs relativism). In common sense there is no conflict between collectivism and individualism.
Western Society since Aristotle stresses 'aristocrat' individuals as creative force. This might be seen as lone tiger behavior, playing king of the jungle in an absolute subreality (individualism), ending in supremacy views and destructive Wars on Terrorism. Asian Buddhism stresses collectives as families of individuals with different creative talents. This might be seen as ant behavior, undervaluing the unique leadership qualities of some rare individuals. Leaders are needed for: STOP or GO.
Families are needed to inspire and limit individuals. Talented individuals help their family to survive. Families limit individuals, and individuals limit families.












Capitalism may be temporarily dominant, but without any doubt both forces are essential. This is symbolized in the Circus Dragon (not the male symbol 'dragon').





Killing is part of 'the ritual', nevertheless I notice that few animals kill for fun. Such egoism was since the 'execution' of Julius Caesar typical in the Roman Empire. Even some Roman historians wrote: until Julius Caesar Italians were noble, afterwards greed and egoism grabbed control and took the name Senate.

Zarah2nd; selfanswering question on internet: "if you have a Senate, who needs the Maffia?"

What we see in the US, Europe, Russia, and the Muslim world is heritage of The Roman Empire: rituals around 'greed', 'power' and 'politics'. The Islam variant of Mohammed (Mohammedan Islam) was inspired by Roman Catholicism. Original Mekka Islam prohibits 'greed'.
At around 200 BC the Chinese Qing dynasty showed extremely cruel ritual behavior, but afterwards China step by step became Buddhist, and at present though still egoistic in essence is peaceful.

So I don't agree with the power-thinking that "life always will be ruled by force and violence". It was exactly this 'dual' ritual power-thinking that caused shapes of fascism and 'dirty wars'. Ritually dividing the world in 'we' the good and 'they' the evil, the pagans, the communists, the terrorists' is typically Roman behavior. Such rituals are only found in 2 or 3 religions. In 'natural' rituals life is taken as a unity, balancing around 'better' and 'worse'. Often this ritual view is called as "The One".

That "there is no future for all human beings beyond the flesh", and accepting poverty, hunger and slavery, is a maffia view (sorry) of life that is typical typical Roman Christian. All beings are one family, and can do MUCH better. Ritually believing in a 'Creator' (creationism=THE Word of God; THE word of Allah) or in 'understanding' ('rationality' or 'intelligent design'), is placing the human animal apart from other beings. It is VERY difficult when growing up with Roman Christian rituals, to think of 'earth evolution' as creator.

For Roman Catholics, and especially for Protestants (Lutheran Catholics) and Mohammedans ('Mohammedan Catholics';most muslims), seeing Earth Environment as the home of ONE family of families is the challenge of the 21st century.












Maybe that is because individuals tends to optimize the happiness of own family in ways with maximum own happiness, and real Collectivism optimizes the happiness of the family with minimum differences in individual happiness (think of European egoism and African hospitality). Rational egoists even only optimize 'rational' goals, and neglect emotions.
So people who feel social have to limit others who are egoist, and vice versa. Otherwise 'individualism' in the extreme becomes fascism and tries to eat 'collectivism'. Collective females showed to be able to live together with individualist males, so why not in political 'marriages'?

Individualism tends to: Egoism + Being introvert (acting like supreme machine)
Collectivism tends to: Rule of the Average (acting like army of zombies)
BOTH individualism and collectivism tend to: Corruption + Bureaucracy (the Chinese empire died in rigid beauty and in the 21st century Western World filling in forms is a major part of every project)

Corruption must be a trace of egoism, bureaucracy is a system that got stuck in rules and lost creativity.
The 21st century software multinational "Microsoft" is a fine example. What started as a flash of creativity ended in bureaucracy and egoism

A 'Family' as combi of Individualism and Collectivism can get rid Egoism, Rule of the Average, Corruption and Bureaucracy.

There is only a talent difference between say a white judge and a black toilet cleaner. Of course the judge might have white friends in 'high places'. And the toilet cleaner might have a powerful trade-union. Friends are there to highlight your positive talent, NOT to cover your weaknesses.
In case of uncertainty, realize that toilet cleaners are useful, as well as judges who can take wise decisions.
part 2

Supremacy

In world history already three times the overdone individualism of Greek spirit-body SPLIT thinking showed it's EXTREME danger (supremacy).

1. The Hellenist Empire: Iskander the Cursed (Alexander the Great) annihilated in his eyes 'evil' common sense Zoroastrian Culture (Persian Empire).
2. British Empire and Stalin Russia after WWI ripped completely ridiculous pieces from the Ottoman Empire and the impartial Persian Empire (Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan).
3. Third Reich or Greater German Empire: In WWII recently Hitler tried to establish his own Western world.

'Superiority of Spirit' is THE pilar of the Roman egoist variant of ZOROASTRIAN Christanity.
African cultures, North and South American Indian cultures, Eskimo culture, Asian Cultures, Polynesian culture and Aboriginal culture are based on unity of body and world (chi, qi, rei ki, etc.). Only buddhist culture in Asia survived the attempt of Roman Christianity to colonize earth

In the Western World rationalism caused egoism (corruption). 'Rationalism was 'exported' by Dutch Calvinists to South Africa (Apartheid). That's why we find individualism in the imported white population, and collectivism in the original black population. And 'rationalism was brought to America by 'the early colonists' (in majority protestant). Again extreme individualism in the white population, and collectivism in the decimated original red indian population and the for slavery imported black population.
Much later rationality entered Japan (as 'Forschung' or 'Untersuchung') via Japanese students studying in Germany, and was a HUGE factor in WWII in the Pacific).
In Buddhist Asia HEAVILY overdone egoism led to herds of 'zombies' following mediocre leaders (exeption amongst others Tibet).

The Chinese Early Religion was a variant of Zoroastrianism (just like Judean Christianity). But this type of 'christianity' was ESSENTIALLY different from Catholicism. Present Christianity in China and Korea is Protestantism as imported by the British and in the 20st century by the US.
Anyway Buddhism without egoism is a fine social ethics, and rational logic in collective hands is a superb technological tool.








Ayn Rand, terrorist for individualism

People from 'individualistic' cultures (like USA 1st rank), fighting for individual success, tend to think only of themselves as individuals.
People in 'collective' societies like China (outside individualist Han-China) feel individualistic behavior as emotionless and not supportive. Collectivistic cultures think more in terms of "we". Harmony and loyalty is very important.

Chinese in general perform best when operating as a team. Chinese perform worst when operating individually, and with their name marked on their work.
Americans perform best as group of individuals and with their work attributed to them personally. Americans perform lousy when operating anonymously in a team.
Zarah2nd: Lesson: Collectivism might lack leaders, Individualism raises egoistic leaders

If you want to find all prejudices about collectivism together in the work of 1 writer, then read Ayn Rand.
Some quotes of Ayn Rand (most caused by the bruteness of the egoistic individual Stalin) and comments:

(1) Collectivism means the subjugation of the individual to class or state or ... Comment of Zarah2nd: Non-sense, people who feel life is about 'all together' see individuals (talented or not) as part of a herd
(2) Collectivism requires self-sacrifice. Zarah2nd: Indeed collectivism highly values the brave sheep that save the herd.
(3) Collectivism sees the power of the collective as unlimited. Zarah2nd: non-sense
(4) Collectivism holds that the individual has no rights.[..]. A doctrine of that kind uses brute force. Zarah2nd: non-sense
(5) Collectivism is the ancient principle of savagery. [...] It is the order of a very dark yesterday. Zarah2nd: non-sense, pure individualism is the order of a very dark today.
(6) Totalitarianism is collectivism. Zarah2nd: why not say that Hitler was a communist?
(7) Racism is the lowest, most primitive form of collectivism.
(8) Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; Zarah2nd: well that is close to totarianism.
(9)America's abundance was created by the productive genius of free men who pursued [..] their own private fortunes. Zarah2nd: Who produced the poverty in the subburbs of the US cities? See US-empire or War on Terrorism
(10) The moral base of collectivism is self-sacrifice, as of all dictatorships Zarah2nd: So the US president out of self-sacrifice plays war for oil in Iraq?





If there was one person who made Western people afraid of collectivism, then it was Mao Zedong. Mao made collectivism into totalitairianism of the masses. A herd following the wishes of the sheep.
Probably Chairman Mao ('The Great Helmsman') had many fine leaders of future China killed or 'reeducated'.

Some quotes of Mao Tse Tung and comments.

(1) Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.
Zarah2nd: Collectivism is about 'all together', not about crushing critics.

(2) Learn from the masses, and then teach them.
Zarah2nd: The masses are sheep in some herd, you don't learn much by the way of talking with sheep. Better observe their shepherds.

(3) The organs of state must practice democratic centralism.
Zarah2nd: A sneaky way of introducing dictatorship.

(4) The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.
Zarah2nd: Not if 'the people' means 'the masses'. Change comes out of 'the masses', but by the way of successful leading variants.

(5) The masses are the real heroes, while we ourselves are often childish and ignorant
Zarah2nd: Most sheep are not heroes, and certainly not fit for leadership

(6) We, the communist Chinese nation, have the spirit to fight the enemy to the last drop of our blood, the determination to recover our lost territory by our efforts, and the ability to stand on our own feet in the family of nations
Zarah2nd: Frightening

Family behavior = Behavior around Common Sense (People all are Similar), 'Rationalism = the engineering approach (A World full Differences)

It is VERY important that Buddhist and Christian cultures realize that Roman Christian Egoism/Individualism is not just an inbalance WITHIN the unity of mind and body. Roman Christian Individualism (in the US called 'liberty', and resulting in genocide of many millions of Red Indians) is a result of SPLIT of mind and body.
Thus softening (compromising) the Western engineering approach to whatever level doesn't help. The body mind split should be repaired.
The engineering approach looks for differences (differential calculus). Like in a forest seeing thousands of different trees, each with millions of different leaves. Such a split of reality (like in the whole Roman Christian World) leads to observations like 'apartheid' of body characteristics, good versus terrorist. Instead of realizing that people are mainly similar, only member of different families (cultures), with sometimes peculiar traditions Suddenly 'social engineers' see ABSTRACT divisions like: masters and slaves, beautiful and ugly, managers and workers, BIG gamblers and OBEDIENT servants, rich and beautiful versus poor suckers etcetera.
It results in doctrines like capitalism, not aiming for progress of the collective, but using the idea individual freedom to aim (relatively) at making individuals more rich (and INHERENTLY at making poor individuals relatively more poor, though absolutely less poor). Progress in the Christian World is enlarging the gap between 'the poor' and 'the rich'.
Split of Mind and Body was formalized during European Enlightenment in the logic rationalism. Rationalism is a valuable logic in technology, IF handled with care and made useful for the collective. In social ethics the logic of differences 'rationalism' after a slow start proved to be EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE .