Where do we go from here?

An article on what is generally regarded as left and right politics, and why there's really only one ethical choice to make.





Where do we go from here?

It seems to me, that we are all heading towards some sort of crunch point where we have to decide what sort of future we want. I'd like to take a moment to explain what I mean, and why I think there's really only one choice.

For a start, I've been thinking for a long time that I don't like the terms 'left wing' and 'right wing'. I use them still, sure, but I don't like them. I think they're too limited and they're causing us problems. More on that in a bit. I prefer 'progressive' and 'conservative' but I still think they're a little adversarial. Lately I've come to think of the political/ideological spectrum as more 'outward' or 'inward'. Ideology that looks outward is necessarily concerned not only with progress but is more community minded. Ideology that looks inward is more concerned with selfish individualism and tradition.

These aren't oppositional. They don't stare at each other, teeth bared, growling. They look away from each other. They are literally heading in different directions. It's our choice which fork in the road we want to take.

The main reason I rant so much and get angry about things is that when it comes to this fork, I despair for the masses of people hell-bent on taking the other path. I seriously believe that only one path is legitimate and I'll tell you why.

We have lots of debates about social issues. Whether it's what to do about gambling addiction, or whether we should support same-sex rights, or are we getting too fat, or what should we do about bullying, or any one of a number of other issues. To take an inward look is to say we shouldn't address these issues. Everyone is purely responsible just for themselves, society shouldn't change to address these issues.

To take an outward look however is to realise that nothing happens in an individual vacuum. The addicted gambler doesn't just hurt themselves, but also their friends and family - whether by spending the life savings, or ending up in suicidal despair. Same-sex rights might not affect you, but they'll affect someone you know, and so on. Just because one issue doesn't affect you personally doesn't mean it doesn't affect someone you know, but at a more basic level - if it doesn't affect you AND it makes someone's life better, then what are you complaining about?

Current public discourse on social issues always boils down to this - on one side there are always the inward claims of 'I don't see why MY taxes should pay for this' or 'It's against MY religion!' or 'If THEY can't take responsibility for THEIR lives, that's not MY problem.' On the other side are some very plaintive cries of 'WE should help people in dire straights' or 'EVERYONE should get the same rights' or 'I'm prepared to give a little more if it helps PEOPLE out'.

You see where I'm going with this? Try it out on media diversity - 'Rupert Murdoch has the right to set his OWN agenda in his media outlets' vs 'We should have more diverse media, so WE can all be better informed'.

How about asylum seekers? 'How dare THEY jump the queue? I don't see why THEY should get a free ride' vs 'WE should welcome these people and help them. NO-ONE should suffer like they have.'

My point is pretty simple. In any debate where you counterpoint your own fears or selfishness against the assistance or betterment of another, you are ethically in the wrong. What we consider right wing opinion is littered with this.

So what if this inward-looking view becomes predominant? Do we really want to live in a world where business gets preferential treatment from government over people? Do we want to live in a world that insulates you from another's suffering, or more directly, insulates others from YOUR suffering? Do we want to live in a world that says 'stiff shit' if through no fault of your own you are oppressed or impaired or impoverished? I cannot accept as equal a viewpoint that answers 'yes' to these questions.

In any issue where you have a 'left wing' vs 'right wing' debate, they will always be treated as equal but opposite. But they're not equal, and they're not opposite. 'Inward' vs 'Outward' describes the nature of the debate much better. One view is insular and selfish, the other compassionate and concerned. These are not equal views, and neither are they strictly opposites. To be opposites, each must cite an opposed answer to a question. To take the same-sex marriage debate as an example, there is no equality or opposition in viewpoints. One view says person A should be treated the same as person B, while the other view simply says 'No they shouldn't, and I'm not going to explain it OR offer an alternative'. That's not an answer. In fact the more zealous and hateful answers are technically (but certainly not ethically) better, if only because they actually posit an opposite alternative, which the wishy-washy mumbling of our government certainly doesn't.

In the days, weeks, months and years to come we will all be exposed to big questions, to which we may wish to find answers. Should gas companies perform fracking in your suburb? What to do with the deplaced islanders whose homes are now under water? We all have to answer these questions for ourselves, especially if we are in a position to do something about them. We can choose to look inward, pocket the dough and say 'screw you all', but if everyone else does the same, well I'm sure we can all remember that adage '...and when they came for me, there was no-one left to speak out.' Alternatively we can look outward. We don't need to agree on everything, we just need to agree to approach a question with an open heart and an open mind. The answers to our questions might not be easy or comfortable answers, but at least they'll be answered truthfully and ethically.

The ball is in our court. Don't get tied up with niggling details, just do the best you can to look outward beyond yourself. Yes, things might suck, but there's a good chance if you reach out, you may find someone else who feels the same way, and another and another etc. Find enough of you, you change the problem. Sit there and say 'I'm right Jack, you can shut up or f#ck off', well, don't be too surprised if someone says the same to you, right when you want it the least.

The road forks in front of you. Which way are you going?