So I started thinking about this individuality stuffs after reading his comments, then I got the following thoughts:

Personally, I think instead of saying Eastern culture has a lack of individuality, it’s more like the Western culture deviated from the old beliefs of family/social ties and bondage and developed the concept individuality.  And I believe this shift is due mostly to technological advancement.

If you think about it, in the old times, it is quite difficult to survive on your own.  Any slight climate changes can cause a great impact on the agricultural produce.  And for those herding people it’s even harder; you never know whether you can find water/grass tomorrow or not. You literally need a whole family working together to keep the whole family alive.  And thus a heavy social and ancestral emphasis is natural.

However, as technology advances and human’s understanding of the world broaden, it is easier for one to leave his family and search for opportunities elsewhere without worries, and thus you get these advanturers who leave on their own to explore places like America, Africa, India, and so on.  And those instant riches/success stories further stimulates this movement and encourages one to leave his/her family and go out for opportunities.

Another possible impact on this phenomenon may also be Christianity itself.  As the Bible urges people to preach the gospel, more Christians are willing to venture into the unknown world than people from other culture.  Thus, the western culture always have a better understanding of the world than most eastern culture, and thus leaving family to go out for advanture seem less like a crazy/wild thought.