David Brooks on the Weakness of the Democracies

 

NYTIMES.COM

Opinion | The Dark Century

Why our era has grown so ugly.

This piece by David Brooks goes into the “must-read” category. I'm not sure that he nails it thoroughly, but it's an NYT editorial page piece, not a full-blown essay or book. I agree that he's on the right track or at least one of the right tracks. Here's the prime takeaway:

The events of the past few weeks have been fortifying. Joe Biden and the other world leaders have done an impressive job of rallying their collective resolve and pushing to keep Putin within his borders. But the problems of democracy and the liberal order can’t be solved from the top down. Today, across left and right, millions of Americans see U.S. efforts abroad as little more than imperialism, “endless wars” and domination. They don’t believe in the postwar project and refuse to provide popular support for it.

The real problem is in the seedbeds of democracy, the institutions that are supposed to mold a citizenry and make us qualified to practice democracy. To restore those seedbeds, we first have to relearn the wisdom of the founders: We are not as virtuous as we think we are. Americans are no better than anyone else. Democracy is not natural; it is an artificial accomplishment that takes enormous work.

Then we need to fortify the institutions that are supposed to teach the democratic skills: how to weigh evidence and commit to truth; how to correct for your own partisan blinders and learn to doubt your own opinions; how to respect people you disagree with; how to avoid catastrophism, conspiracy and apocalyptic thinking; how to avoid supporting demagogues; how to craft complex compromises.

Democrats are not born; they are made. If the 21st century is to get brighter as it goes along, we have to get a lot better at making them. We don’t only have to worry about the people tearing down democracy. We have to worry about who is building it up.

Thoughts for the Day: Tuesday 13 October 2020

 

The Soul's Code

James Hillman

As the writer William Saroyan put it: “I resented school, but I never resented learning.”

9 Steps to Influence

Ehud Segev

Sherlock Holmes, said: “You see, but do not observe. The distinction is clear.”  Yes, the power of observation!

Extraordinary Lives

William Zinsser

“Let’s suppose I had never met Harry Truman and didn’t know anything about him and had never seen a photograph of him. How would you describe him to me?” There was a pause, and he said, “Complicated.” Of course, we are all more complicated than we appear. Everybody is hard to know, particularly someone in public life. But Harry Truman was a much more complicated and interesting person than most of us have been led to believe. He was far better educated, far more learned, far more placid, calm, conciliatory, thoughtful. He never raised his voice among those who worked for him. He was never known to dress anyone down in the White House, never known to fly off the handle or become abusive. He did not like confrontations. In his own family, he was known as “The Peacemaker.” (He came from a very, truly “feisty” family.)

Becoming Sherlock

Stefan Cain

Studies have shown that slowing down and focusing more attention on detail will actually train your brain to assimilate the good habit of becoming more observant and productive.

Empathy is a tool for building people into groups, for allowing us to function as more than self-obsessed individuals. —Neil Gaiman...

Essays in Understanding, 1930-1954

Hannah Arendt

Even in the personal sphere, where no universal laws can ever determine unequivocally what is right and what is wrong, man’s actions are not completely arbitrary. Here he is guided not by laws, under which cases can be subsumed, but by principles—such as loyalty, honor, virtue, faith—which, as it were, map out certain directions.