In this response to the fascinating articles by Dalal (2016) and Samuels (2016) in this issue of the Transactional Analysis Journal, the author looks at the notions of the individual as responsible agent and the individual as simply a product of society from the perspective of the almost unbearable challenge of managing that paradoxical existential tension. She links to some theoretical ideas, particularly ego states, games, and focal conflict theory, and includes vignettes from her work using psychotherapeutic concepts within organizations. She suggests that there is another aspect to being human that is important and should not be missed: seeing individuals at their finest as both part of yet separate from the world.