The philosopher George Santayana (1863—1952) once observed that we Americans don’t solve problems; we leave them behind.
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Thus, problems that won’t go away are now causing anxiety in countless Americans. We are tired of so many catastrophes that have fallen upon our heads simultaneously—COVID, inflation, crime, civil strife, war, and increasingly angry and strident political divides. Everything seems to be falling apart. We want an easy way out so we can get on with our lives.
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The first major change is the scope of our problems that tend to intensify and multiply as time passes.
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As society decayed, however, each successive wave of declining morality complicated and amplified the problems. For example, the sexual revolution of the sixties gave rise to the abortion mentality of the seventies and onward. Divorce and contraception soon made broken families the norm for all society. Today’s LGBTQ+ revolution now imposes itself upon all society despite attempts to escape its reach.
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The second reason we can no longer flee from our problems is that the social structures that once kept difficulties somewhat under control have broken down. Our everything-goes culture overwhelmed our best line of defense against misfortune.
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A third factor enters into the equation that explains our plight. It is a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of suffering in our lives. We have the erroneous idea that a world without suffering is possible
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This walk-away-from-suffering mindset is everywhere. If a marriage does not work out, no-fault divorce makes another possible. If an unborn child cause inconvenience, a chemical or surgical abortion is provided as a solution. When social structures break down, people demand government programs to aid them. In our Facebook world, everyone must at least pretend that they are enjoying life (as if they had walked away), even if they are internally devastated.