This world does not offer much, either economically or socially, in the way of narrative. Corporations break up or join together, jobs appear and disappear, as events lacking connections. Through most of human history, people have accepted that their lives will shift suddenly because of wars, famines, or other disasters. What's peculiar about uncertainty today is that it exists without any looming historical disaster. Instead, it is woven into the everyday practices of a vigorous capitalism.
Instability is meant to be normal.
Perhaps the corroding of character is an inevitable consequence. I think Rico knows he is both a successful and a confused man. The flexible behavior that has brought him success is weakening his own character in ways for which there exists no practical remedy. Excerpted from Corrosion of Character by Richard Sennett. Copyright 1998 by Richard Sennett.