World On Fire: The Root Causes of Populism, Authoritarianism and The Whole Global Mess

Having given up on American urban life, I have retired with my son's family in a small mountain town. Here in the northern Philippines, the indigenous people allow no one to own property except those who are born here. No one is homeless, most are religious, all are involved in the community, giving what they can when need arises for any of their people. Children are valued, elders like myself are taken care of by family, nature is treasured. I've come to believe that most of the world's troubles are caused by the rise of bloated cities where status, power, and money are thought to be "values." My son is a well-educated, privileged white man who gave up the prosperity religion for a simple life when he joined the Peace Corps and fell in love with the Filipino people. He married a native woman, raised four children, loves to cook, and enjoys his life. Americans who grow up in rural and small town circumstances know very well that their way of life is dying. They value it and go about protecting it in desperate, foolish ways. If Democrats could reach them with educational and social programs that honor traditional ways of life, they wouldn't fall for Trump and his bogus populism.

The influence of corporatism on mood is obvious and should not be ignored. Corporate technology, corporate militarism, corporate capitalism, cultural consumerism and the relentless pursuit of money are primary causes. A secure base cannot be formed from people who are hungry, homeless or isolated. People become isolated for multiple causes, including the philosophy of circling the wagons when your very survival is threatened. No one is donating if there isn’t enough food. No one feels safe. Your ideas are correct but the causes aren’t included all causes. You can’t ignore greed of corporate power as a cause.

Makes me sad hearing this. My wife and I traveled 7000 miles and 28 stops in this country, it made me happy, mostly because of considerate well meaning people. I say look for and accept stable decent folks. Then you’ll find fulfillment. Peace

This talk did not go where I expected it to go. Kindness, compassion, generosity without expectation of something in return are all spiritual acts. I think you are spot on in stating that we are collectively suffer from a lack of spirituality.

He had me right up until the 'remedy' of people in the center and on the left needing some form of 'faith, family and flag'. He just got through telling us all about the lack of a sense of security among poorer people based upon horrible educational outcomes [graduation rates; obesity; shorter life-spans; higher divorce rates; etc.], but then never mentioned the fact that the 1950s and 60s spurred the growth of the greatest capitalist economy ever in the history of the world - but how? Through extremely high tax rates on the rich that funded, among other things, a public education system that was the envy of the world! Faith, family and flag are all good and well, but to make a substantive, material difference in the lives and prospects the poorest Americans, TAX THE F*CKING RICH!!!

David has always been a consertative. His blind spot seems to be the devastating effects of economic inequality. He admits the US is a caste😢 system today, but falls short of admiting that this is at the root of the instability and profoundly destructve stress on families! The neo-conservatives eroded to almost nothing the social pact of 'raising all boats' , of having a social safety net in times of crises, of protecting the weak, and nurturing the potential of those in poverty (both parties are guilty...there is no left in the US). When the majority is deeply insecure and afraid, how can we have hope and trust?

Nice talk, but he passes right over the mass destruction of employment security that's occurred since the 1980s -- exportation of manufacturing, destruction of unions, mass layoffs in the early 90s, the rise of at-will employment, huge increase in income and wealth inequality, etc. The psychological, moral, and spiritual sickness that Brooks rightly sees didn't just come from nowhere. And lack of trust in others? It's totally reasonable given the life circumstances most people face today. And while it's good to be pleasant to folks on the subway, it won't change the basic problem.

So even though the most religious are the most populist, nationalistic, and authoritarian, the cure is to embrace faith?

bunch of rich people purchasing politicians to bend rules that result in wealth inequality. then they complain that these lower resources people are losing sense of family; community etc. Low Resource Communities develop low trust for the sake of self preservation. High Resource Communities develop high trust for the sake of mutual preservation. At the end of the day, Its not about how parents need to teach their children differently. Its about giving parents the time to invest in their children. As long as billionaires, whip the lash of capitalism at the middle class and lower middle class workers, then survival and profitability becomes more important than values, familial bonds, community, etc. If you're working 2 jobs to make ends meet, what time do you have for "Community"?

Liberals aren't the problem, David. It's the unbridled effects of the marketplace, which are much more encouraged by conservatives. Brooks talks of individualism and privatization of morality as a function of liberalism. People on the left trend towards collective action, regulation, and support for the state. Rugged individualism is a corollary of libertarianism, a right-wing philosophy. It's David's conservative friends who have failed - relying on the free market for everything - including morality. Also, no mention here of deindustrialization, and at same time the effects of climate change making things just very hard on all of western society. The means of production matter.

Why is it happening? Easy. Wealth = power. And power ensures further wealth. Noble, all-inclusive, "democratic" ideals continually fall by the wayside due to the specious rationalizations of oligarchs. Greed, is the underlying "Achilles heel" of the human species. As it has often been pointed out throughout global literature,"greed is blind". We, the human species, are dying from our own myopia.

By David's definition, I'm an educated elite. I spent 10 years in college to get a Ph.D. in physics but I've never owned a home and have suffered lots of unemployment. I patched things together and made it to retirement but I don't feel like I did better than my parents.

I love David Brooks, although I don't often agree with him. The hole in his spirituality argument is that in non-religious countries, like Japan, where I live, society is more intact, extremism is low, and people have a more positive view of the future. Fewer than 15% of people regularly attend religious services here, and it's been this way since WWII. One key difference between the Japan and Nordic countries and the US is a strong social net (although it's eroding here). One factor that has affected everyone worldwide is the corporate takeover. You can't have a sense of moral order when the corporations that run our lives don't. Society no longer allows everyone to succeed; you have to embrace corporatism to succeed. When educators, farmers, and caregivers cannot live prosperous middle-class lives, society can't succeed.

David Brooks the depth, breadth, humor, humility and humanity of this is profoundly reassuring and appropriately challenging..

I think its existencial fear that isolates us and then results in lonliness. One example - Fear of getting sick or in an accudent, then falling into financial abyss. Another- Fear of getting fired under At Will Employment. Another - Fear of police and the surveillance securtity state. People have to feel safe, but the monopolized, corporatized brutal economy twists our culture and interpersonal trust. I agree we are devolving into a cast society. A lovely discourse David.

So far, not so good. Spiritual recession = loneliness People are using loneliness to get involved in politics. Wrong. 2008 - Wall Street screwed American people for years through fraudulent mortgages and then bailed themselves out by getting taxpayer-funded loans while throwing 3 million people out of their homes. That's not loneliness.

These troubles would be much improved if he bottom 80% had twice their present income.

❤❤Thank you! David Brooks for such a thoughtful presentation.

Once again David Brooks exceeds my high regards in “World on Fire” at the Aspen Institute. After 2+ decades, his diligent journalism & inspirational commentary should no longer surprise me, but I’m delighted it does.

David’s story after 51:00 is one of exercising community. In community we are at our best. I thank M. Scott Peck for teaching me this lesson.