Shawn Steggink, thanks for this piece. Totally resonate and agree with cutting against the herd mentality.

Some questions:

“The virtuous act unconditionally in accordance with their values while those who lack virtue act conditionally on something external.” But isn’t virtue itself a social creation? If morality and goodness are what is sought in virtuousness, who determines this? And if the individual is the one who is supposed to determine this for herself, is she not still pulling from externally conjured realities? I guess I’m interested in how you think we can subvert the herd mentality without becoming reactionary to it?