Faith abides

Article

"Americans have lost faith in institutions. That's not because of Trump or 'fake news.'

Summary

Bill Bishop writing in The Washington Post claims everything about modern life works against community and trust. Society has frayed because we have elevated the value of individual autonomy. The causes predate Pres. Trump and there is nothing we can do about it.

Quote

"We have become, in Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s description, “artists of our own lives,” ignoring authorities and booting traditions while turning power over to the self."

Understanding

It is easy to use the past to identify what is lacking in the present and what is threatening to our future. It is harder to identify how the elements of our current predicament might bloom into a better tomorrow.

During my active parenting years I grieved that children didn't enjoy spontaneous, unstructured, communal play. I recalled fondly how on weekends or after school a dozen or so of my childhood buddies would gather for games of tag, baseball or football. My kids were more isolated and into TV, computer games and organized sports.

Now I work with a lot of people aged 19-35. I see how they use hand-held devices to connect and build community through liking, commenting, sharing and participating. I see how they value kindness and inclusion. Their interactions remind me of the Saturday afternoons of my youth except that they enjoy multiple, positive social interactions every day. Their smart phones replaced the bat and ball that were the devices that brought my community together.

OK we have lost what was familiar. That always happens. So does the arrival of something better that we can't fully imagine just now.