But in another, important sense, it is total nonsense. Collectivism, whether in religion or politics, seems to be elevated as the highest of virtues, and the sacrifice in the name of all seems to be reified as the greatest good.
And yet there is absolutely nothing noble about communism, or any other form of collectivism. The idea that the individual is nothing, trivial, and should be controlled in the name of a higher ideal is not noble or empowering, it is dehumanizing. The idea that our lives should be subjects of a purpose ordained by the state is little more than slavery in a bureaucratic form.
The idea that equality before the law should be demolished to make place for a privileged ruling class, which can control the economy for its own interest and fat pockets, is humiliating and hypocrite. Concentration of power leads to atrocities. Taxation ties everyone's hands and enslaves half of their time to the state. The wars on drugs, terrorism, poverty, all give government a blank check on our rights, and give increased powers to the police.
All these things are not noble : they are dehumanizing, they represent innocent people getting arrested, people being slaves, less than they could be, and a political power that gets its fat checks from honest workers' backs.
On the other hand, there is nothing nobler than freedom, than people gaining the right to belong to themselves, to do what they aspire to do, against democratic or despotic oppression. The free minds and free markets have raised our standard of life to their current heights.
Now almost all of us have access to such things as air conditioning, modern stoves, refrigerators, and computers, most of which would have been unimaginable a century ago. So would the modern grocery store and convenience store, as well as the prices and diversity of goods, which everyone can enjoy today. The average lifespan today is almost twice what it was a century ago. Is there anything nobler than progress ?
Why then is statism considered so desirable ? It seems that the desirability comes from the fact that a strong state could impose the person's will on everyone else. In short, people find statism desirable because they want to impose rules they find desirable.
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