Thank you for a very relevant article.

Individualism plays a major part in our seeming inability to address environmental problems too. And it is a problem that hits upper middle class people much more so than blue collar social demography.

When we argue for public transport, it sounds like we are simply arguing for a better technology to get from A to B. In reality, even if pubic transport was more convenient than the private car, many would opt for the car simply because they no longer can handle their 'space' in close proximity to others. They have to have a lot of 'space'.

Technology is thus less of a problem than is social policy.

The further we are separated from community (because we have been wealthy enough to put up barriers and live in isolation) the less tolerant we are of engaging. Our possessions and private space are so important to us we don't know how to share them. We also become less tolerant of different people, because we barely ever rub shoulders with them.

Individualism causes social alienation.

Go to a bank teller line in an uppity suburb and you will wait your turn in almost embarrassed silence. Go to one in a working class area and the person behind or in front will chat about the machine not working, or their health problem and all manner of things.

Those who have become intolerant of others would prefer they shut up, but it is themselves who have the social problem.

Individualism has become a habit. We forget how enjoyable pulling together in something like a street cleanup followed by cake and coffee can be. Government should force us [especially teenagers] to be involved in social and environmental projects as a type of national service.

I doubt it would work if we were forced to do it!!

I am unsure if a lot of what you describe is not already happening, I know it is in our local area. From what I have seen it works best when people interact from a genuine desire to do so, rather than fulfilling some imposed quota. I like it best to talk to the neighbour over the back fence because I want to.

It is also interesting that you demand respect for diversity, which presumably does not include respect for individuals who engage in individalism.

Could you please clarify how you will create policy that will make people feel less fear? Like happiness, the feeling is intrinsic to the person, and what makes you fearful may be fine for others. The government is not, nor should it be responsible for how any individual feels about this.

Handing over responsibility to governments for making us feel better is a sure fire recipe for disaster, except in the minds of those who espouse a much greater say in how others decide to live.

Miner, your comments are valid enough, but the worst thing that governments and political candidates do is to deliberately build up community fear as a political strategy. This is done all too frequently.

Fear is also inculcated in us by a hard core media focus on dramatic bad news. A train mash here, a rape there, a bomb blast there - fairly rare events but we watch every one of them every night on TV news - as if all of these things were every day events in our own lives. The psychological effect is very pervasive.

Fear and isolationism are partly innate to the individual, but much more so they are a product of social mechanisms that are at play in wider society, and government does have many levers to bring abut more healthy conditions in our society.

And it ought to.

“Having enjoyed historically low interest rates,”

Some of us can still remember how Hawke and Keating administered record interest rate levels.

“Reduced workplace security is another concern.”

Not as much a concern as having no job at all, like the recession Keating brought us.

“we are scared because, as individuals, we are beginning to feel more alone: we feel alone because of increasing fear.”

Wrong, I am not scared for those reasons.

The deficiencies and stupidities of big government and meddlesome socialists scare me far more than being responsible for managing my own circumstances.

“self-interest over the good of the community”

I often shake the hands of friends and strangers but I have never shook the hand of "a community". When I can, I will believe the term “good of the community” means something, until then it is just a synonym for socialistic lying.

“Fear is a powerful motivator”
Yes just like envy.

It is also one of those convenient negative things which socisalists like to dwell on to hrlp sell their particular brand of slavery -

where we are all enslaved to the mythical "common good" and no one has any individual worth or rights.

Miner “I doubt it would work if we were forced to do it!!”

Because as a personal choice would rate it, on a list of priorities as falling off the end.

it is an illusion with no real meaning, the stuff written in socialist manifestos and drenched in sentimentality.

It is the usual socialist swill, the prattling twaddle and idealistic rubbish spouted by those who lack self reliance and character and believe their sense of "feeling alone" is experienced by everyone else and we all lack what they lack.

I guess I will not bother to engage with gecko, from his post he will understand what I mean.

The most likely way of turning the middle classes into working class is to leave the economy in the hands of socialists to stuff it up.

It remains a fact, the “working class” always aspire to “middle class” affluence but without expecting to work for it.

Bronwen

Today's society in Australia is characterised by fearfulness but you are way off on a silly politically correct blame game when you are pointing at individuals. The fearfulness today has very little to do with income, debt levels, working conditions, working hours and has absolutely nothing to do with individualism.

I'm an individual. I am afraid of no-one. I am not afraid of otherness ... in fact I embrace it. I'm not fearful for my youngsters for I've taught them to be individuals. I am not afraid of responsibility. I am bold and revel in challenges, and most others find that and many of my challengers frightening. I accept responsibility for my actions and their consequences.

Here is a list of things you could do to reverse the fearfulness that is enveloping our society.

Launch a campaign that seeks to change the population's acceptance that society is and should be a 'safe' place.

Launch a campaign to limit the instigation of legal claims by individuals who's own stupidity contributed to the incidents that form the basis of their claims and to list and limit all damages in any compensation payments.

Launch a campaign to limit claims for stress, or other humanity engineered or fostered causes, in the workplace.

Launch a campaign to scrap all the Government sponsered programs designed to protect people and make Australia 'safe'.

Launch a campaign that reverses much of the stupid state based legislation that seeks to make everything 'safe'.

Launch a campaign to scrap many of the provisions of Workplace Health and Safety legislation.

Launch a campaign to teach parents that overprotecting and molly-coddling their precious ones merely to keep them safe teaches them to be fearful of the world, fosters aloneness, and the avoidance others and otherness.

ie launch or support any campaign that fosters personal responsibility and the utter rejection of the blame game.

After you've done those things talk to me about diversity, individualism and ... errr .... manliness.