Recent shootings serve to highlight how we live in times that are violent and lonely. Young shooters are breaking the precarious rhythms of our daily lives with tragedy. We know little about them. However, one thing they all have in common is loneliness. The Loner as Ideal Revolutionary In times past, subversives … Read more
Misery has a lot of company these days. Perhaps too much. The number of those unhappy, stressed, or lonely has reached its highest point on record. America is not alone in its misery. However, it is hardly consoling that the whole world keeps it company. This climate of discontent is the consistent … Read more
A friend of mine works at a health clinic in a medium-sized town in the Midwest. He told me about a peculiar kind of patient that comes in for treatment. They are young and old, rich and poor. They are men and women. It is safe to say they represent a cross … Read more
Sociologist Robert Nisbet once said that the quest for community cannot be suppressed. It is one of the most powerful needs of human nature. Through community, a clear sense of purpose and belonging is established. People feel they belong to institutions that help put them in order. Many think social media can … Read more
A huge geo-social gorge has suddenly appeared on the nation’s political landscape, and nearly everyone is talking about it. This strange chasm unites politicians of all parties into demanding immediate action. Educators, too, have placed it high on their agenda. What is this yawning gash that must be bridged at all cost? … Read more