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As we head into the time of year when many Americans reflect on the material benefits provided by our capitalist society, I came across a communication from the self-appointed philosopher, David Brooks, of The New York Times.

The title of the column caught my eye:  Opinion | Why More People in the World Are Feeling Hopeful (Except Us) – The New York Times.  Of course, since Brooks moved to the NYT, he hangs with the crowd that cannot find happiness. They despise America’s material wealth while sipping their lattes and quoting from their brand-new iPhone. After Brooks tells us the rest of the world is going along swimmingly while Americans are not, he slips in the definition of why his cohorts are so disgruntled.

Mr. Brooks tells us about what he obviously sees as an exciting new book coming out, which he must have had a chance to read in pre-publication. 

Brooks states, “Coming from Brink Lindsey, whose book ‘The Permanent Problem’ will be coming out soon, is that affluence changes expectations.  Affluent individuals want the government and society to provide not only basic physical security but also meaning and purpose, as well as friendship.  When they can’t deliver, people get angry and disillusioned.”

That is a fascinating point to highlight from this book. Let us break it down into two parts.  First, everyone I know understands and accepts the first part of that statement that we want our various levels of government in America to provide basic physical security.  I would argue that most of the folks I know want more than basic physical security.  They want the government to forcefully put a stop to crime in America, particularly in our big cities, and clean up the streets so we don’t have to walk past drugged and deranged individuals or people defecating in public forums.  

The question is, does anyone at the NYT know why Brooks thinks that way?  They seem to be arguing in favor of the criminals and not the crime victims.  They seem to say that homeless people have “rights” to defile our streets and make them unsafe. Brooks should have a debate on this with his current fellow sojourners.  

The second part of that statement can be considered in one of three ways.  The first is, who is this Lindsey guy to define that as we become more affluent, we depend on the government for meaning, purpose, and friendship in our lives?  The second point is that this individual is entirely accurate in stating that some of the more affluent members of our society are seeking from the government these three things, and that is the current divide.  And last, if he is right, that is the description of how people view their government, which does not describe me, and God forbid those people are ever in charge of anything. Personally, I fall into the third category.  

The interesting aspect Lindsey (and Brooks) are leaving out here is that they attribute the characteristic to affluence, but not one’s education level.  We all know they are really referring to people who have achieved a higher level of education, for the most part, in today’s society, and have had their minds bludgeoned by the current educational system.  They have drifted from a commitment to our Judeo-Christian heritage and have lost a central meaning in life.  Thus, they are looking for that.  My friend Dennis Prager often quotes G.K. Chesterton: “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.”  I learned a lot from that statement.

In the column, Brooks adds, “I would say that the most important social trend over the past decade has been the disconnect between our nation’s economic health and its social health.”  He goes on to describe how people thrive in environments where they have networks of relationships.  People are happy when they have an attachment to their community and when they join congregations and regularly attend religious services.  He also states that the happiest place on earth is not Disneyland, but rather Israel or Poland.  The people there are connected and have a higher level of religious observance.  

The Beautiful Wife and I are attending Jewish High Holiday services with our family.  We are connected to our community and are not looking to our government for anything beyond physical security.  The people we know are happy with their lives and have a sense of well-being.  

There is an easy way for individuals who are lost to regain control of their lives.  Join us, the happy people, who are not searching for meaning in life; we have it.  Stop thinking that some elected official or faceless bureaucrat is going to provide you with anything.  It will not happen. 

BTW, Happy New Year, L’Shana Tova.  

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This article was published by Flash Report and is reproduced with permission granted by the author.

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