School children leave chewing gum wads on the sidewalk. Dogs poop here and there, and some dog owners just leave it. I think the answer is obvious. The baby boom generation has now reached that critical age, their late forties and early fifties. They have finally realized that they're going to die.
Baby boomers are famous for their infatuated self-regard.
Their trashing of traditional consolations and supports, especially religion. Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, Isaiah, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Paul, and so on. Believers know this. We do not believe it, we know it. When we feel bad, we turn to God, and to the stored wisdom of our faith.