Whatever Happened to Altruism?

One of the most disappointing things in watching the Australian federal election campaign (and indeed the past two Australian federal elections) has been the almost complete disappearance of altruism from the platform of either party. Everything seems to be phrased in terms of what the individual can expect to get out of it. There’s little rhetoric about personal sacrifice or the greater good of the country. Even when large projects are spoken about it’s always carefully explained in such a way as to make it absolutely clear how this will benefit every single person.

To some extent this is to be expected in a country with a budget surplus and a roaring economy. But surely in conditions such as these, where there is a budget surplus and a growing economy, that the best course of action would see money thrown not at taxpayers but instead used on projects that provide benefit either to a large number of people or to those most disadvantaged.

It seems unpopular these days to suggest government can ever be an answer to problems. This at a time when even the briefest glance at a newspaper reveals the host of countries throughout the world where quite clearly the absence of government is the problem. That’s because government is not something that forever impedes the progress of humanity towards a utopian existence: it is very often the thing that allows us to progress. Whether that’s in the form of a legal system people can depend on, a health system people can depend on or an education system people can depend on.

Free enterprise is fantastic and yay capitalism but let’s not forget the structures that make all that wonderful stuff possible. Perhaps investing in those would be more prudent than another tax cut. And perhaps thinking a little more about how we can make society great, rather than buying a great new TV, is something we could all try to do a little more.