Loved this piece (“How America Got Mean” by David Brooks in The Atlantic) on why Americans have become sad and mean. Completely worth the time to read!! For those in a rush, here is my summary.
While Brooks agrees popular theories (e.g. social media, isolation, changing demographics, economic inequality) are relevant, he thinks there is a deeper story. He writes:
“The most important story about why Americans have become sad and alienated and rude, I believe, is also the simplest: We inhabit a society in which people are no longer trained in how to treat others with kindness and consideration. …We live in a society that’s terrible at moral formation.”
What is moral formation you ask?
"Moral formation, as I will use that stuffy-sounding term here, comprises three things.
First, helping people learn to restrain their selfishness. How do we keep our evolutionarily conferred egotism under control?
Second, teaching basic social and ethical skills. How do you welcome a neighbor into your community? How do you disagree with someone constructively?
And third, helping people find a purpose in life." (later he notes that successful moral formation includes two key basics: moral vocabulary and moral skill.)
Where did moral formation go?
Brooks then points out that for much of its history, “America was awash in morally formative institutions.” After WWII, there was a pivot. “In sphere after sphere, people decided that moral reasoning was not really relevant.” And, like so many things, moral communities are “fragile.” Hard to build and easy to destroy.
Key problem(s)
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations grew up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
Sans ethical structure, people become internally fragile.
Expecting people to build a satisfying moral and spiritual life on their own by looking within themselves is too much.
Lonely eras are not just sad eras; they are violent ones. Filled moral vacuum with politics and tribalism. Loved this: "If you are asking politics to be the reigning source of meaning in your life, you are asking more of politics than it can bear."
Essential questions
How can we build morally formative institutions that are right for the 21st century?
What do we need to do to build a culture that helps people become the best versions of themselves?
His conclusion
“Healthy moral ecologies don’t just happen. They have to be seeded and tended.”
To build healthy moral ecologies, we need:
Modern vision of how to build character (not gendered)
Mandatory social skills courses
New core curriculum
Intergenerational service
Moral organizations
Politics as moral enterprise
“Moral formation is best when it’s humble. It means giving people the skills and habits that will help them be considerate to others in the complex situations of life. It means helping people behave in ways that make other people feel included, seen, and respected.”
