Well, There's Your Problem

From capitalism to communism, liberalism to conservatism, there are plenty of -isms to blame for all of life's woes. Here's one you are probably familiar with, but don't know it yet: mine-ism. It isn't a political ideology, but people are loyal to it. It isn't a theological ideology, but people reverence it. Mineism takes the worst bits of all of the other -isms and rolls them up into one nasty bit of personality deficiency.
Capitalism lends the desire to succeed and accomplish and gain more. Capitalism provides the freedom for people (who put forth the required effort) to succeed. When it gets out of hand, capitalism can become a hot-bed for greed. Greed is the downside and greed is what capitalism shares with mineism. What can I get? That is the mineist's question. Actually it's more like "What can I get?" and "Give it to me now." I think give it to me now is the motto of the mineist.
Communism lends the need to pull other people down. In communism, it isn't enough for you to work hard, you need to make sure that everyone around you is working just as hard. There are no rewards for those who are willing to put in extra effort, only punishment because their work isn't rewarded. Mineism has the attitude that no one else is as good as you so they don't deserve what they have, and instead you deserve it because you are you. After all, who could be better than you? Self is supreme. So take that piece of communism that says no one deserves more than you and add it to that "Give it to me now" mentality.
Liberalism lends entitlement. You have a right to housing, food, education, nutrition, automobile safety, a job, etc, etc, etc. You are entitled to everything, says liberalism. You needn't work for it or put forth any effort. This is the bad side of it. It is good to support other people and for all of us to take care of one another, but it is not right when it comes as a mandate from the state. Social programs and entitlement programs are essentially state mandated care for others. It takes the ownness off of the individual and puts it on the collective. When you take responsibility away from the individual you hurt their ability to be self-reliant; you destroy their ability to be independent. Mineism thrives on entitlement.
Conservatism is harder to pinpoint the bad side because it is where my bias lies. To me conservatism is what society now calls "traditional values." To me it is faith in God and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (also the originally planned word "possessions"). Of course there are no perfect -ism generalizations, so I'm not saying that all non-conservatives are god-less and don't support the basic inalienable rights factored into the founding of the United States of America. I am saying that this is the way I view conservatism and as it is the politically related label that I would apply to myself, if I were to apply any, so I am less likely to look for and notice the bad aspects of it. But they are there. I guess it isn't harder to find, I'm just less likely to see it right away. Enough of that, here's the mineism-conservatism connection: close mindedness.
Conservatism gets a reputation of close mindedness partly because some people labeled this way are very dedicated to their beliefs which they have put a lot of work and thought into developing, and the other part is because some people are just close minded. Again, I don't think being close minded is a monopoly held by conservatism, but I do think that it is the biggest downside of the -ism. Mineism is completely close minded. Mineists don't care what you think or what might be better. To a mineist, if they think it or they want to do it, it is the best way. Take your empirical research, science and testimony based on personal experience and throw it out to sea. The mineist knows whats best (for everyone).
Mineism is the worst -ism of all. We are all mineists to some degree. "Mine" is a dangerous word, with and without the word "land" attached to the front of it. With it, well, you get the idea, but without it it can be just as explosive and fatal. Other than our ability to be agents for ourselves in making moment-by-moment choices, what can we really say is our own? What really is mine other than agency? Even the power of agency has been given to me by God, so while I exercise it, it wouldn't be mine without His gifting it to me, so is it fully mine? I guess it is, but the resultant consequences aren't fully mine, if I accept Jesus Christ and allow his atonement to cover me (for an explanation of what I mean here, leave a question in the comment section).
To me, the sum of all of this is that we have to do as John F. Kennedy suggested and ask what we can do for our country. But not just our country, also our family, our friends and everyone else we see. It is good to work hard and acquire items that make life livable and comfortable. It is good to seek to improve the lives of all people around us. It is good to be understanding of people and their individual situations. It is not good to seek gain for pride, or to push people down to make ourselves feel higher, or to ignore the needs of others in pursuit of our own interests, or to take away someone's independence and give them everything for nothing.
I don't fully know what mineism is. I had the idea tonight and I've tried to brainstorm a definition in the typing of this post. There is something plaguing society today, and at the very rootiest rooty root (I can't type seriously for very long without having to throw in some bit of nonsense) of it is pride. Pride is the easy culprit, to which humility is the easy antidote. Though not easy in doing, only easy in defining. It seems too broad to be able to generate a solution for it, but since pride is the root, and pride is an individual issue, maybe it is the best target to aim for.
What do you think?