The missing piece in all of this seems to be a missing civil society.
The US government has never been in the business of assigning a meaning of life to people beyond the generalized "frontier" concept talked of above. Rather, the Constitution is there to create conditions for us to find meaning together, which was done in community groups such as fraternal orders, charities, religious organizations, sports clubs, youth groups, family formation and the like. For Tocqueville this was the secret sauce in a nation as diverse as our own. Note that these are non-political groups, which allowed people to mix with others across the political spectrum.
It is membership in these groups that allows us to find a particular mission through which we can bond with each other, as well as providing a network of support and connections which can help us in our economic and social lives. My own experiences in my religious group, in Freemasonry, earning my Eagle Scout, and now volunteering with the Red Cross has brought me into contact with both "whys" and "hows".
Robert Putnam noted the decline of civil society in his Bowling Alone book, and the decline started in the 1970s, but I'd say the internet has allows us to atomize further and COVID really accelerated it (as well as our economic woes). We are "bowling alone" for sure, and this prevents us from finding connection, meaning, and mutual support, as well as made us more polarized and unable to push back against extremism or anti-American attitudes.
Excellent interview. The thoughtfulness of these two young men fill me with hope. They are far more mature than I was at their age. As one of them observed, fulfilling one’s physiological needs does not guarantee the fulfillments of higher needs in Maslow’s hierarchy. That is not a bug but a feature! How else nature evolves from the relatively primitive to the relatively complex? It requires struggles, intelligence, wisdom and, above all, a fighting spirit. Both of these young men have the spirit in them. It might take years for them to discover ways to release their spiritual energy but they are on the right track! Our time is full of challenges and opportunities. Don’t let any good problem go waste, join in and figure the art, science and spirit of it. Yes, society can be better structured to help you. However, don’t take things for granted. Look around and into history. Things could, are and have been much worse. Don’t let cynicism corrupt your soul. If Viktor Frankl could find interests and meaning in a Nazi concentration camp, what excuse do we have?
The missing piece in all of this seems to be a missing civil society.
The US government has never been in the business of assigning a meaning of life to people beyond the generalized "frontier" concept talked of above. Rather, the Constitution is there to create conditions for us to find meaning together, which was done in community groups such as fraternal orders, charities, religious organizations, sports clubs, youth groups, family formation and the like. For Tocqueville this was the secret sauce in a nation as diverse as our own. Note that these are non-political groups, which allowed people to mix with others across the political spectrum.
It is membership in these groups that allows us to find a particular mission through which we can bond with each other, as well as providing a network of support and connections which can help us in our economic and social lives. My own experiences in my religious group, in Freemasonry, earning my Eagle Scout, and now volunteering with the Red Cross has brought me into contact with both "whys" and "hows".
Robert Putnam noted the decline of civil society in his Bowling Alone book, and the decline started in the 1970s, but I'd say the internet has allows us to atomize further and COVID really accelerated it (as well as our economic woes). We are "bowling alone" for sure, and this prevents us from finding connection, meaning, and mutual support, as well as made us more polarized and unable to push back against extremism or anti-American attitudes.
https://yansong.substack.com/p/faith-and-meaning-in-the-age-of-artificial?r=o1gg5&utm_medium=ios
Excellent interview. The thoughtfulness of these two young men fill me with hope. They are far more mature than I was at their age. As one of them observed, fulfilling one’s physiological needs does not guarantee the fulfillments of higher needs in Maslow’s hierarchy. That is not a bug but a feature! How else nature evolves from the relatively primitive to the relatively complex? It requires struggles, intelligence, wisdom and, above all, a fighting spirit. Both of these young men have the spirit in them. It might take years for them to discover ways to release their spiritual energy but they are on the right track! Our time is full of challenges and opportunities. Don’t let any good problem go waste, join in and figure the art, science and spirit of it. Yes, society can be better structured to help you. However, don’t take things for granted. Look around and into history. Things could, are and have been much worse. Don’t let cynicism corrupt your soul. If Viktor Frankl could find interests and meaning in a Nazi concentration camp, what excuse do we have?
Don't forget the highest level on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was transcendence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs#Transcendence_needs