The Old Idea Still Causing Us Problems

Time recently published its 2012 list of 10 ideas that are changing your life. Some of the usual suspects appear: "Computers are destroying our brains," "Humanity is destroying the earth," and (hold the front page!) "We're destroying ourselves with stress." There's also the bizarre: new food preservation techniques can keep meat edible for up to seven years (think I'll give that BBQ a pass). But at least half the entries mask a core idea that's been causing us problems for 6,000 years---the self-centered desire and demand for independence. Here are its latest disguises.

Living Alone Is the New Norm: In one of the biggest societal changes ever witnessed, the number of Americans living alone has increased from 4 million in 1950 (9 percent of households) to 33 million (28 percent of households) today.

But don't feel sorry for the "new loners." NYU sociologist Erik Klinenberg tell us this is the ideal life:

Living alone serves a purpose: it helps us pursue sacred modern values---individual freedom, personal control, and self-realization---that carry us from adolescence to our final days. Living alone allows us to do what we want, when we want, on our own terms. It liberates us from the constraints of a domestic partner's needs and demands and permits us to focus on ourselves.

The Rise of the Nones: "The fastest-growing religious group in the U.S. (16 percent) is the category of people who say they have no religious affiliation."   Continue at David Murray