By Teresa Kiehl,
Client Relations Specialist at Hastings,
Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska
I recently came across a quote and felt sick to my stomach:
“I am done with the monster of ‘We,’ the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth . . . , this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This god, this one word: ‘I.’”
- Ayn Rand, “Anthem”
I was not nauseated because of the quote itself. It is easy for me to read something and disregard it if it blatantly contradicts my beliefs and convictions. What made me sick was knowing that the author of this quote has been openly admired by powerful politicians in this country. Ayn Rand (1905-1983) was known for her beliefs in radical and extreme individualism, wherein any given individual should only make decisions based on their own self-interest, disregarding the needs of others.
Surely, our society does not live by this philosophy. Surely we could not live like this, right? And yet, perhaps these tendencies are beginning to seep into our society. Interestingly and perhaps even shockingly, Geert Hofstede rated the U.S. as the most individualistic country in the world in his work “Culture’s Consequences.” He noted that in contrast to valuing group harmony and interpersonal relationships, as is the case for the most collective countries, our society values individual freedom, privacy, holding our personal goals as paramount, and expecting individuals to look after ourselves. Perhaps our society is drifting in the direction depicted by Rand’s quote, drawn from her novella “Anthem,” which presents an extremely stark and absolute rejection of community, interdependence, and collective concern—the “monster of ‘We.’” Yet that philosophy of radical self-interest stands in direct, irreconcilable opposition to the foundational tenets of Christian belief, which unequivocally stress the interconnectedness and mutual belonging of all people. Where Rand’s philosophy exalts the autonomous “I” as the ultimate moral and societal good, Christian theology grounds its understanding of human existence in the profound reality of “We.”
The Christian understanding of “belonging to each other” is not a sentimental preference; it is not merely a suggestion! It is a theological mandate rooted in the nature of God and the redemption found in Christ. The Bible consistently portrays humanity not as isolated individuals, but as a body. The Apostle Paul’s letters are explicit: “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.” (1 Cor. 12:4-5). The Augustinian principle that became Pope Leo XIV’s motto puts it succinctly: “In the One, we are one.” The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you.” If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one is honored, all rejoice together.
Our Christian beliefs are further supported as we evaluate our own lived experiences. How often do we feel the need to share our lives with others, to have others participate in our joys and sorrows, to experience our highs and lows with another? How many times have we felt the desire to be seen, to be loved? How often has our loneliness been the cause of our discontent? How often do we wish to feel that someone cared? As St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”
Truly our desire to love and be loved is more than just a want, it is a need that is ingrained in our very souls. To love and be loved is the image of God living within us. We most perfectly fulfill who we were created to be when we love those around us! It stands to reason, then, that the more we love another, the more complete—the more fully whole, we become.
Our lives are, and always will be, inextricably intertwined with each other. We need others as much as others need us! “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” —Mother Teresa. Regardless of what society, philosophers, or political leaders proclaim, we must never forget that we were created to be one in Christ, through Christ and with Christ. It is in this communion that we will fully be Christ’s body alive in this world! It is in this communion that we will truly be who we were created to be, and as St. Catherine of Sienna exhorted us, “If we are who we were created to be, we will set the world on fire!”
