300 years, yet atheism has not grown into a viable movement | Bart Campolo

[mralstoner]

History demonstrates quite clearly that belonging to a group is no guarantee of a consistent ethos.  Religious schisms happen all the time.  In the long run I think we have to take responsibility for our own philosophies of life.  If we find groups that help us express those philosophies, that's fine.  If not, better to go it alone.

I never said groups were stable entities, but our individual and collective needs can only be met, in the long term, with the backing of group strength.

As for the "individual taste" aspect of music, one of the things I enjoy about playing in bands is that we push the boundaries in that regard.  Not everyone will like every score that we work on, but we almost always grow in musicality from attempting them anyway.

There's nothing wrong with creativity and individuality, but these can only occur within a civilisation, and a civilisation is a living organism that requires upkeep and defence against decay and competitors, and that requires a strong group.