Patriotism II

I will put up some random thoughts of mine on this issue as and when they come to me. I personally think each of us can try in our own small way. One can even join government services, the judiciary and the armed forces to make our own contribution. I like to believe that the vast majority of us are not corrupt or crooked. For some reason, so many of the ones we elect are. It would be great to have a survey done where the constituents of a politician are asked as to why they vote for the same person in spite of him/her being corrupt. I have a feeling that the result would be on the lines of "even if he/she is corrupt, he/she has done a lot for us and the area." So is it a good enough reason to elect him/her again and again? Isn't that bribery in the moral sense? There is no concept of 'the greatest good of the greatest number' in human sentiment. It exists as long as it is not in our own backyard. The moment it involves us, we run and join the bandwagon. It all comes down to our own selfish interests. I care and will philosophize as long as it does not affect me. The moment my own self-interests come into the picture, 'the greatest good of the greatest number' goes for a toss. As an economist, I believe that people can be rational but mostly when it comes to their own self-interest. As a society, I am not so sure. Maybe I am too much of a cynic. I don't like to believe that all this is possible only in a non-existent utopian society. Hopefully, I shall see it in my lifetime.