Big issue is that our children are inculcated with the idea that they will not have kids. Sure, some of that is climate change and other fears. But most of it is just plain old selfishness.
My 14 yo grandson doesn’t even have a concept that you grow up, get married, have kids. And when pressed about it he says, “If I do that then I can’t have what *I* want.” Which is to work enough to get paid and pay the bills, and then play video games the rest of the time. (He is being surprisingly honest).
fortunately, our kids (and grandkids) have time to mature. But your anecdote and millions more just like it prove the need all the stronger. Passively hoping for the next generation to get it and figure it out isn't working well.
A common refrain on the Right today is "what did the conservatives conserve?" You point out that the answer is "nothing".
However, I find this is the fault line between today's conservatives and what (for lack of a better term) I call post-liberals. The George Wills and David Brooks of the world see this failure and say: "we'd better accept it; we can't stop the train of progress." (Buckley tried; didn't work.) However, the Patrick Deneens and Red Drehers and Sohab Amaris say, "the train is running off a cliff; let's stop fantasizing about something that doesn't exist anymore and figure out how to build new things that work today."
I place your piece here firmly in the latter camp. I don't know if you would embrace the post-liberal tribe, but your sentiments here certainly agree with them.
However, that tribe has no home on the traditional Left-Right spectrum as said continuum is derived from the Enlightenment (specifically the French Revolution), and post-liberals are tentatively stepping outside that framework.
I don't refer to myself as a post-liberal mostly because it's perhaps a little too inside baseball for most people. But yes, I certainly agree with a lot of post-liberal thinking. I started reading but forgot to finish Deenan's Why Liberalism Failed but what he said resonated strongly. I should pick it up again.
While my project is not political, I suppose you could say it's post-liberalism in the home and community. What does it mean on an immediate, personal basis for you, your kids and your friends to abandon the Left-Right spectrum? It's a lot of fun. I wish more people would jump in.
Love this, Michael... your insights make me think about things a little differently, and I like that. Also, I love your sources footnote... very sweet!
Indeed, and updating the playbook requires more work than just saying "why don't you do what I did?"
Big issue is that our children are inculcated with the idea that they will not have kids. Sure, some of that is climate change and other fears. But most of it is just plain old selfishness.
My 14 yo grandson doesn’t even have a concept that you grow up, get married, have kids. And when pressed about it he says, “If I do that then I can’t have what *I* want.” Which is to work enough to get paid and pay the bills, and then play video games the rest of the time. (He is being surprisingly honest).
fortunately, our kids (and grandkids) have time to mature. But your anecdote and millions more just like it prove the need all the stronger. Passively hoping for the next generation to get it and figure it out isn't working well.
A common refrain on the Right today is "what did the conservatives conserve?" You point out that the answer is "nothing".
However, I find this is the fault line between today's conservatives and what (for lack of a better term) I call post-liberals. The George Wills and David Brooks of the world see this failure and say: "we'd better accept it; we can't stop the train of progress." (Buckley tried; didn't work.) However, the Patrick Deneens and Red Drehers and Sohab Amaris say, "the train is running off a cliff; let's stop fantasizing about something that doesn't exist anymore and figure out how to build new things that work today."
I place your piece here firmly in the latter camp. I don't know if you would embrace the post-liberal tribe, but your sentiments here certainly agree with them.
However, that tribe has no home on the traditional Left-Right spectrum as said continuum is derived from the Enlightenment (specifically the French Revolution), and post-liberals are tentatively stepping outside that framework.
I don't refer to myself as a post-liberal mostly because it's perhaps a little too inside baseball for most people. But yes, I certainly agree with a lot of post-liberal thinking. I started reading but forgot to finish Deenan's Why Liberalism Failed but what he said resonated strongly. I should pick it up again.
While my project is not political, I suppose you could say it's post-liberalism in the home and community. What does it mean on an immediate, personal basis for you, your kids and your friends to abandon the Left-Right spectrum? It's a lot of fun. I wish more people would jump in.
Love this, Michael... your insights make me think about things a little differently, and I like that. Also, I love your sources footnote... very sweet!
Thank you Kathleen, thinking differently about this stuff is certainly the goal. I have a post on texting coming up soon that you might enjoy.