I appreciate the linkage here between different cosmologies and the conception of time. As for the other dichotomy addressed, that between "collectivist" and "individualist," there is in the Western tradition another possible approach to individualism, one that follows from a belief in equality: mutual respect among individuals for one another. There is, to be sure, respect that 'must be earned', but this strain of thought recognizes the respect to which every human is entitled merely for being a fellow human: taking one another into account as we live our individual lives. That form of individualism has been largely ignored, especially in the U.S., but it does offer a way forward for Liberal society (i.e., democracy and the rule of law with individuals' liberty as its primary concern).