But increasing individualism – a focus on one’s own ambitions and economic prosperity – in many countries poses a stubborn obstacle to realizing this vision. Indeed, the utter lack of a sense of solidarity among so many people – horrifyingly evident in the US health-care debate – is now undermining the very basis of what a modern democratic society is.
但在许多国家，日渐增长的个人主义（对自身欲望和财富的关注）已经成为实现上述理念的顽固障碍。事实上，太多人毫无团结意识的现状——正如关于美国医疗保险体系的辩论——正腐蚀着一个现代民主社会的最核心基础。