The good ol' days

I have been reading Life: The Movie by Neal Gabler, which is a book that covers the history of Entertainment in America. What can I say, I was a sucker for the $1 book sale at the public library. Anyways, it has reconfirmed that the "Good ol' Days," where everyone was virtuous and lived without a sensationalist media and wicked entertainment corrupting their minds, well, it never really existed. People have always been pretty much the same, the media has always loved a good story first and facts second, and entertainment of dubious moral value has always been way too easy to find. One thing that has changed dramatically, however, is the strength of the institutions that have historically counterbalance individual desire. Per David Brooks in his recent NYT editorial:

In this way of living, to borrow an old phrase, we are not defined by what we ask of life. We are defined by what life asks of us. As we go through life, we travel through institutions — first family and school, then the institutions of a profession or a craft.

Each of these institutions comes with certain rules and obligations that tell us how to do what we’re supposed to do.

Families. schools, work. Looks like America is striking out at the moment.

How in a conversation on institutions does Brooks not mention church? Does an oblique reference to charities count?

Now, I have some very dear friends that are not a part of any church or organized religion. They are great people full of love, and will remain great, caring, productive members of society wherever their exploration of faith takes them. They are philosophers. They contemplate right and wrong, seek meaning in life, and want to leave the world a better place. But as my marriage has taught me (I love you, honey), not everyone is a philosopher. Most people seek the structure and comfort of institutions. After all, that is what Brooks is writing about.

As tonight's The Office highlights, no one likes the morality police. Yet, even the harshest critics of religions will admit the ability of faith to mold behavior. So any nostalgia of institutions without even considering faith rings a little hollow to me. Still, this is an important topic, and Brooks makes several good points. Institutions, at their best, can indeed save and bring a purpose to life.