"“Get a solid education, good grades and find yourself a stable and secure job” is advice most parents give their kids. But even though this advice may have been sound advice some generations ago, the world has progressed since then. There are no secure jobs anymore. A good education is no longer a guarantee for a good job. And a good job is no longer a guarantee for a life without financial struggles.
I came across these words today in a book I was reading - not a book on economics, but just an escapist novel called The Last Alchemist. I was struck by the truth of the comment and by the fact that it has only become true in my lifetime. I did all those things my parents recommended and enjoyed the security of full-time work, but there are too many young people today caught in the second part of the quote, experiencing a life with intermittent work and constant financial struggles.
When I look at the constant reports of low-paid workers being exploited by their employers, and the callousness of the decision to reduce penalty rates for workers in cafes, all in the cause of higher profits for employers in the vain hope they will use it to employ more workers, I wonder what sort of society we have evolved in to.
I notice that Peter Slipper visited Parliament House today. Why would he put himself through that? Surely he would be better to live the rest of his life in anonymity rather than draw attention to himself. Then again, maybe he has convinced himself he did no wrong, and it's all somebody else's fault.
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