Lasch wrote those words nearly 30 years ago in a book he called 'The Culture of Narcissism'. And the proof of his argument is around us everywhere today. It's a culture entirely focused on the cultivation and satisfaction of personal appetites, no matter how much damage is done to our vocabulary of values in the process. Toshiba now markets its latest laptop computer as the real meaning of freedom. The reason is simple.
Restraint gets in the way of production and consumption.
The heart of this culture consists of three sins. The first is pride. For however long it lasts, we're still the only superpower on the planet. The second sin is fear. When you have a lot of stuff, you have a lot of stuff to lose.