What is the process of coming into this world and accclimatizing oneself to the expectations, environments and hostility of this society? How does an individual adjust to this variable world of games and competitions mixed together with the individual's mindscape and outlook?

I am stumped. Excellence and progression in standards of living and coexistence are desirable, but I sometimes wonder if these advances are attended too closely by corollary losses in individual autonomy and environments free of coercion and pressure. These environments that I see as negative, some see as necessary, enjoyable or the very essence of life. Where is the middle ground? Where is the separate peace that is acceptable and not destructive to the ties between society at large and the sensitive individual?