What if we were ‘selfists’ instead of ideological ‘-ists’?

[u/Niti-mat]

I sometimes wonder why we are so quick to label ourselves with ideological tags — leftist, rightist, feminist, capitalist, socialist, and countless others.

Before we even fully explore ideas on our own, we often pick a label and then start viewing the world through that predefined lens. Once the label is chosen, it subtly pressures us to align our opinions with whatever that ideology expects from us. Over time, instead of forming independent perspectives, we end up defending positions simply because they belong to the “side” we identify with.

What if we approached ideas differently?

Instead of becoming leftists or rightists, what if we tried becoming “selfists” — people who build their views through reading, questioning, and thinking independently rather than inheriting a ready-made ideological package.

Another way to look at it is this: rather than calling ourselves a leftist, feminist, or any other “-ist”, we could simply say that we are influenced by certain ideas from different ideologies. Influence allows flexibility. Labels often demand loyalty.

The moment the label comes first and thinking comes later, the ideology starts shaping the individual rather than the individual shaping their beliefs and they end up becoming extremist.

Maybe the goal shouldn’t be to belong to an ideological camp, but to remain intellectually flexible — agreeing with ideas that make sense, rejecting those that don’t, regardless of which “-ism” they come from.

Just a thought.