ETHICAL SOCIETIES |
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By Jason Bolster(The following was written for a writing assignment in response to the statement: 'The money spent on luxuries, such as an extra television station, would be better spent on foreign aid')I agree that the cost of a television station would be better spent on foreign aid. However, to argue for forgoing very expensive luxuries, which only a few can afford, is to shift the responsibility. Ethical societies assist the needy, but a society consists of individuals who must all act. The wealthy are morally obliged to support the poor. Whether the rich ignore, blame, or exploit the impoverished, the result is the same: the poor are dehumanised. Usually subtly, the poor are branded inferior. This does not hurt the poor alone, however. To degrade one human is to degrade humanity - the humanity that the richest and the poorest hold in common. As Fred Hollows said, "The presence of a poor person anywhere else in the world lessens me as a person." Now especially, wealth must be shared internationally. The economy and our society are increasingly global. In mediaeval times, stark inequalities existed within nations; today, they exist between nations. The inequality between residents of Vaucluse and Redfern cannot compare with that between a typical Australian and a typical Rwandan. It is, therefore, wrong to focus on luxuries such as television stations, which typical citizens cannot provide. To oppose television stations on this ground is to shirk one's own duty. Five dollars can prevent blindness in an African child. Around 1.8 million children die annually of dehydration caused by severe diarrhoea, which can be cured for eight cents. It is clearly hypocrisy if I argue for society to provide for the needy, while neglecting to do so myself. It is more moral to forgo a television than to argue for society to forgo a television station. When I forgo luxury and channel my surplus into foreign aid, I do more than help the needy. I become able to experience what the poor endure, and therefore gain affinity with them, becoming more sensitive to their needs. I demonstrate to society an ethical lifestyle, and lead by example. If I then campaign for wider change, my campaigning is empowered by my demonstration of faith in this alternative way of life. Society must replace its inherent self-centredness with a new spirit of community. But that requires everyone to do whatever he or she can. Societal change cannot be achieved by agreeing that "someone ought to do something about it". People achieve it by recognising that they are society's constituents, and changing themselves. |
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