Get rich quick. We are turning the commonweal into the Commonwheel of Fortune. The late mythologist and philosopher Joseph Campbell once noted that in medieval times the approach to a city was dominated by the spires of its cathedral and castle. Nowadays, the soaring towers of commerce are the first things to strike the eye. People build their lives around these towers.
Communities take shape.
Work skills are learned, social relationships are formed and personal aspirations are molded. A dense matrix of values grows up around and intertwines with these modern temples. Perhaps their predominance explains why the business of business has become such a cultural preoccupation. In recent years, a dozen new business programs have burst forth on commercial television, public television and cable. They eschew loyalty to workers, products, corporate structure, businesses, factories, communities, even the nation.