A passing interest in pivotal events
Given the increasingly divisive nature of politics and social issues, ordinary conversations now more than ever comprise discussions about the state of affairs and behaviour of our leaders.
More ordinary people are more concerned about political and social issues than ever before. How can they not be, given the far reaching impact of decisions made over the past 2 years? If anything, not enough have woken up to the state of affairs given the increasingly invasive nature of politics in our lives.
Radical gender ideology is being implemented in schools under the guise of ‘anti-bullying’ programs to sexualize your children and teach them anti-Biblical views of sexuality behind your back. Anti-discrimination law is being wielded to prevent Christian & conservative organizations from hiring in accordance with their values and beliefs.
Increasing pressure has come to bear on politicians to pass more radical laws on life-issues such as abortion and euthanasia. Environmentalist energy policies are shutting down coal power stations and cutting-off our most valuable and reliable asset, at the very moment global demand has quite literally sky-rocketed.
We had the highly restrictive lockdown policies, vaccine & mask mandates through which thousands have lost their jobs and businesses. Not to mention record-breaking government spending on the back of decreased productivity leading to the wild inflation we are now experiencing.
A mentality of apathy governs us
This approaching election may be the most decisive in the short history of our country, and I say this with no hint of irony or hyperbole. The direction our nation could take has never been so divergent given the nature of politics right now. Yet so few people actually take the time to look into, let alone understand, the issues governing our nation or the stances of our candidates.
I remember walking down to the voting booth the previous federal election with a group of Christian friends. The conversation I listened to pretty much summed up the sentiment I see more broadly: “I just don’t know who to vote for” said one friend, “The Labour Party is for helping refugees, but the Liberal Party is against abortion”. I believe that was the extent of my friends’ thinking... 2 major issues, both highly relevant to the Christian world view, yet no nuance, context, or depth of thinking.
This is not a dig at my friend who I know to be a genuine, caring, and thoughtful person. It is a mentality that has been modeled, a general apathy bred in Australian culture towards anything political, unless it directly affects the individual’s narrow set of interests. The typical take on political parties goes something like, ‘there’s two major parties and they’re both bad in some way, so pick the lesser of the two evils’.
That is often supplemented with the superficial observation that one is better economically and one better on social welfare, or as one friend put it, “one cares about money, the other cares about people”. Even fewer still have a basic grasp of how our parliamentary system actually works, or the nature of the other minor parties.
Given the complexity and consequences of decisions being made for our nation, how can that be the level of comprehension we are willing to settle for? I think it is time we re-establish the idea of ‘civic duty’.
Being a citizen in a nation of shared values and beliefs requires a certain level of responsibility, it means participating. It means we all take an interest in the issues that matter, because maintaining a healthy democracy where we do get to participate in the decision-making process requires it.
This goes a long way to explaining the current state of politics. Over time citizens switched off to the direction of the country and became merely consumers. Australia in particular has a reputation for being laid back and care-free. Most of us are engaged in the wholehearted pursuit of materialism and living the good life.
It’s the post-modern remnant of liberalism that says ‘you do you, just don’t force anything on me’. So for a long time, only those who’s ideology is their religion have had a say in the running of things.
What can I do?
“But I don’t know where to start” you might say, or “I don’t have the time in my hectic life, how can I possibly figure out what really matters or who to vote for?”. Glad you asked! There is a growing number of proactive individuals and groups who have taken on the effort of researching the political parties and their candidates.
For instance, Joel Jammal and his team from Turning Point Australia have done the hard work by creating how to vote cards for each electorate by ranking parties based on principles that (in their own words) “improve the quality of Australian democracy in general and the Australian political process in particular.”. They also provide updates on key political developments as they unfold.
The Australian Christian Lobby advocates for the Christian world view in parliament and has been successful in influencing the government on a number of key issues. Leader Martyn Iles recently posted a video listing all the professing Christian candidates who are on the ballot this year, and also did a ranking of the ideologies of each political party.
You can follow people like Topher Field, who is a political commentator turned senate candidate and has a bunch of videos on his youtube channel, some are informative and some are parodies. Check out the video on his homepage explaining how voting preferences work using marbles! (warning - some videos may contain profanity)
You can also become more involved by seeking out and following other individual commentators on social media who can expose the deeper philosophical and intellectual factors on controversial topics that you don’t have the time to research yourself.
All you have to do is swap out a few of those puppy videos when you find yourself scrolling! I follow a handful of individuals but can’t share them here directly due to privacy issues, but if you start with those mentioned above on social media, you will naturally come across more like minds thanks to the way algorithms work.
Finally, take advantage of the hard work already done and share it with others. This is how movements begin. It starts with a handful of people going against the cultural tide. Seek out those who know, inform yourself, then inform others.
William BJ Weir is an Australian traveling and working in Europe. He arrived in the UK just before the pandemic in March 2020, and have been there since. He has plans to see more of Europe as restrictions allow, while developing his writing skills and educating himself on current socio-political issues. He has a background in Geographic Information and the Public Service. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, exercise, reading, photography, and exploring Europe.
