In its simplest and most potent form, it is the perspectives and practices transmitted to us by parents, schools, prestigious people, and communities. Some cultures create a higher quality of life than others. Being part of a culture that creates functional individuals, families, and communities is infinitely better than inhabiting a dysfunctional one.
American culture, an amalgamation of practices from all over the world, was one of the most desirable cultures in the world for over two centuries. This changed, though, as science inadvertently discredited many religious tenets . . . radio, television, and social media infiltrated our lives . . . intact families and communities became less common . . . public sector unions politicized our government, universities, and schools . . . the federal government became a deeply indebted, special-interest-serving behemoth . . . self-serving activists convinced us to disregard merit, lower our standards, favor some identities, and discriminate against others . . . the rule of law became identity dependent . . . and our news became divisive.
Early on, community leaders and parents ceded influence to television and film studios, advertisers, and celebrities, and more recently, to government agencies, foreign sovereigns, billionaires, multinationals, monopolistic social and news media platforms, public sector unions, and other concentrations of power able to commandeer our airwaves and representatives. If culture is so critical, what collection of perspectives and practices prevents and diminishes these aggregations of power and influence . . . spawns functional individuals, families, and groups . . . creates great schools, businesses, and governments . . . and elevates our quality of life?
Flourish—the culmination of over forty years of study, travel, and thought—answers these questions. A distillation and synthesis of hundreds of thousands of years of evolved insights, the book houses a set of perspectives and practices all Americans will want to consider and share with their children. People flourish in the modern world when these practices are prevalent and struggle in their absence.
Publication Date: September 15, 2024