Connection to each other can do more than save our souls.
It can rescue us fom societal collapse.
David Brooks has noticed that “the foundational layer of American society — the network of relationships and commitments and trust that the state and the market and everything else relies upon — is failing. And the results are as bloody as any war.”
But he is hopeful. He points to the many, many people who are are "leading us toward a culture that puts relationships at the center. They ask us to measure our lives by the quality of our attachments, to see that life is a qualitative endeavor, not a quantitative one. They ask us to see others at their full depths, and not just as a stereotype, and to have the courage to lead with vulnerability."
He's talking about it in his new book. The promise that connection to people, place and ecosystem can redeem us is a healing salve in these scary times. But it's more than a salve. It's a solution.
Book Review: David Brooks on the Importance of Connection
CBS This Morning: David Brooks on Valuing Relationships Over Personal Success