The reason it may seem our societal ability to create well-working institutions is declining could also have to do with the apparent fact that the whole idea of duty and the honor that this used to confer is not as much in vogue anymore as it used to be. Also, Equality and Diversity aside, being “ideological” is not really a thing anymore… the heydays of being an idealist and brazenly standing for something are seemingly over.
The general public seem to be more interested in rights and not responsibilities, somehow unable to understand that they can only meaningfully exist together. I was having a conversation the other day about whether it would be a good idea to introduce compulsory voting in the US, as this would render moot a significant number of dirty tricks used to de-facto disenfranchise certain groups… almost all objections came from the “I”-side; I have a right to this, I am entitled to that… the whole idea that, gee, you know, you might be obliged to spend 1-3 hours every 2 or 4 years to participate in society is already too much of a bloody hassle. Well yeah… with that kind of mindset, it’s no wonder the institutions that require an actual commitment to maintaining robust societal functions is hard to find...
The reason it may seem our societal ability to create well-working institutions is declining could also have to do with the apparent fact that the whole idea of duty and the honor that this used to confer is not as much in vogue anymore as it used to be. Also, Equality and Diversity aside, being “ideological” is not really a thing anymore… the heydays of being an idealist and brazenly standing for something are seemingly over.
The general public seem to be more interested in rights and not responsibilities, somehow unable to understand that they can only meaningfully exist together. I was having a conversation the other day about whether it would be a good idea to introduce compulsory voting in the US, as this would render moot a significant number of dirty tricks used to de-facto disenfranchise certain groups… almost all objections came from the “I”-side; I have a right to this, I am entitled to that… the whole idea that, gee, you know, you might be obliged to spend 1-3 hours every 2 or 4 years to participate in society is already too much of a bloody hassle. Well yeah… with that kind of mindset, it’s no wonder the institutions that require an actual commitment to maintaining robust societal functions is hard to find...