”Failure to read the great works of the Western canon is key”

Yeah, that’s the real problem. That’s why china and India have such small economies. They didn’t read that shit, probably.

Holy cow, you weren’t kidding!

when a generation habituated to unquestioning adulation enters a labour market in which competition is global “the approval bath stops. The world doesn’t know your name or care who you are.” That’s a shock for a generation used to “years of being coddled in schools without failure and provided unearned rewards and medals for mediocre performance so their feelings wouldn’t be hurt or egos threatened,”

Brooks argues a lack of morality leads to a focus on self rather than the well-being of others. David Foster Wallace agrees: “This is a generation that has an inheritance of absolutely nothing as far as meaningful moral values.” Brooks recommends turning off the screen, which too often acts as a mirror to yourself, and getting involved in the outside world