Two quotes to give you much to consider:
“..as societies become more affluent they tend to require more, rather than less, time and commitment by the individual, and it’s possible that many people feel that affluence and safety simply aren’t a good trade for freedom.”
“As affluence and urbanization rise…rates of depression and suicide go up..increased wealth in a society seems to foster clinical depression.”
Sebastian Junger is a war zone reporter who had a curiosity about community. Consider what your relationship is between community and authority? When one goes up, the other tends to go down. The importance of having friends beyond work is accentuated right now – as we have such a large population retiring and readying to retire. When you are out of balance with authority – then leaning on community for support in transition is difficult.
Start with – How can we see that we have more in common than in conflict? And the most powerful quote of this book to me came in response to a question from the author: “If you want a society to work you don’t keep underscoring the places where you are different. You underscore the shared humanity.”
