Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do when I was your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Pleasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation than in mine looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that most people have long since abandoned what makes life worth living. Finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You well understand our failing modern civilization. But take some time to look into what it was pre-modernity. You will find what a rich and beautiful inheritance was squandered, but still available for those who care to rediscover it. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern liberalism, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the liberal paradigm we've been hypnotized by over the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in. Also, if you've never encountered Richard Weaver, I recommend you read his book "Ideas Have Consequences". That is among the greatest books supporting a sane world outlook, and a very powerful and intelligent rant against our modern, degenerate mode of life. At the very least, a cathartic experience.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do when I was your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Pleasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You well understand our failing modern civilization. But take some time to look into what it was pre-modernity. You will find what a rich and beautiful inheritance was squandered, but still available for those who care to rediscover it. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in. Also, if you've never encountered Richard Weaver, I recommend you read his book "Ideas Have Consequences". That is among the greatest books supporting a sane world outlook, and a very powerful and intelligent rant against our modern, degenerate mode of life.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do when I was your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You well understand our failing modern civilization. But take some time to look into what it was pre-modernity. You will find what a rich and beautiful inheritance was squandered, but still available for those who care to rediscover it. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in. Also, if you've never encountered Richard Weaver, I recommend you read his book "Ideas Have Consequences". That is among the greatest books supporting a sane world outlook, and a very powerful and intelligent rant against our modern, degenerate mode of life.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You well understand our failing modern civilization. But take some time to look into what it was pre-modernity. You will find what a rich and beautiful inheritance was squandered, but still available for those who care to rediscover it. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in. Also, if you've never encountered Richard Weaver, I recommend you read his book "Ideas Have Consequences". That is among the greatest books supporting a sane world outlook, and a very powerful and intelligent rant against our modern, degenerate mode of life.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You well understand our failing modern civilization. But take some time to look into what it was pre-modernity. You will find what a rich and beautiful inheritance was squandered, but still available for those who care to rediscover it. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in. Also, if you've never encountered Richard Weaver, I recommend you read his book "Ideas Have Consequences". That is among the greatest books supporting a sane world outlook, and the most powerful rant against modernity, that I have ever read.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water, even if they're not exactly your type. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family, human dignity, local connections and a reverence for the created order. You mentioned our failing civilization. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family and local connections. You mentioned our civilization. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a belief in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. In fact, what you understand already at your age I didn't see as clearly as you until I was in my 30's. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them and make them your top priority!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family and local connections. You mentioned our civilization. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a faith in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.

Thank you for your post. I'm a bit more than 2.5 times your age, but saw the world a lot like you do at your age, so I never boarded that last train to prosperity. Now, for you, it's much worse. The worst thing about my experience is seeing the contrast between now and when I was part of the last cohort to grow up free to play outside unsupervised, ride bikes everywhere, unrestricted until having to be home for dinner, listening to my grandfather tell stories about growing up on a farm. Seeing all that go away for those who came after has been a source of deep sorrow (I have 18 nieces and nephews, who all grew up in the same area I did).

I don't see much understanding in most of the comments here. Most of them get reduced down to some version of either "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "don't worry, things are bound to get better." But the opportunities have, in fact, dried up. The general mental/emotional state is abysmal. I work in front of the public every day, and I see the same thing you are. It is incomprehensible, like you say, to think just what low caliber the people are at who will inherit this world. You showed up at the part in Pinocchio where Treasure Island has been trashed, and all the boys are being turned into donkeys and sold to the salt mines. I came onto the scene when the party was raging, just about to reach its climax. I walked away from it because it was so obvious what it would lead to, and it was so shallow and disgusting that there was little enjoyment to be gained by participating in it anyway.

I've spent the last 20 years of my life looking for people who want to base the value of their life on real, substantive human connection and experiencing life as free from the corruption of modernity as possible. I've met a few along the way. Not many. I can't say I understand much about your generation. I haven't had a lot of exposure to people your age, outside of my own family. Is it possible that you and people like you might be a natural reaction to how bad things have gotten? Is it possible there are more individuals in your generation looking for and tuned into things at the level you are? If so, then that may be your greatest consolation. You are very well-spoken. You seem like you may be able to seek out and attract those few who are looking for what you are, if they exist. I didn't run across many people who wanted to live a life of real meaning. But like I said, my generation was the last to grow up before the bubble burst.

Just know that you are not crazy. What you're going through is not your fault. The world abandoned your future before you even arrived. It does not mean that there is nothing left to live for. It just means that finding others to share real value with will be difficult. When you find them, hold on to them!

I don't know if you belong to a church. I do not. But looking for those who might make common cause is important for keeping your head above water. Though I am not a believer, I find myself more and more sharing a lot in my world outlook with traditional Catholics. They have a communitarian ethos coupled with wholesome traditions of family and local connections. You mentioned our civilization. Before the rise of modernity and its basis in materialism and the rise of the capitalist mercantile class, much of our civilization was based on something now called the Aristotelian-Thomist synthesis. It was basically the merging of the classical and Christian traditions. Europe before the Reformation was reformulating Christianity according to the native European spirit, attempting to fuse a faith in the objectivity of nature with the need for a transcendent, purposeful view of life. The Reformation was actually a reaction against this development, but that's another conversation. Not that I'm expecting a re-creation of the pre-modern era, but we can derive a lot of insight from that epoch for thinking about what a post-liberal era will look like (classical and modern, as you mentioned). I read not too long ago Patrick Deneen's book "Why Liberalism Failed", and it was one of the most revelatory things I've ever read. It's a powerful way of explaining the past 500 years. It can be a great relief to find those who are like-minded, seeking the descriptions and explanations that help us see up from down and why we are in the mess we are in.

I wish I could run into more youth like you. It would make the coming years hopeful.

Take care.