I do not agree. I find this to be a shallow piece. The author lived most of his life in Israel, very little in America. He has a low opinion of individualism, which is his right. On the other hand, most countries emphasize obedience to the collective over the rights of the individual; many immigrants, such as my wife and some of my colleagues, came to America seeking freedom. I am grateful to live here.
The author is a self-described philosopher, but apparently has little respect for the rights of private property. As a philosopher, he should return to the writings of John Locke, not to mention Ayn Rand, and learn why respect for private property is a pillar of freedom (assuming you value the latter).
Cohesion in society is desirable, provided it is not controlling. However, the author does not investigate what factors may have undermined social cohesion in America. The presence of over 30 million illegal aliens, roughly one tenth of the entire population, should be a cause for alarm. Moreover, the cultural Marxists in charge of the educational and media systems, not to mention government bureaucracy, have made it a deliberate goal to exacerbate tensions within America and other Western societies, along lines of race, sex, income, religion, and so on. That makes America a low-trust society, and one reason I support secession (I have posted maps on my own Substack).
Odd too, recalling the times I have been urged to make aliyah, and strongly considered it. As an American observer of Israeli society from thousands of miles away, Israel appears to be far more fractured socially than America. Israel is a much less individualistic country than America, so shouldn't social cohesion be easier to achieve? But the hostility between the secular left and the chareidi right seems insurmountable.
Maybe we will be fortunate on Yom Kipur to achieve unity, at least during Ne'ilah.
Excellent piece
I do not agree. I find this to be a shallow piece. The author lived most of his life in Israel, very little in America. He has a low opinion of individualism, which is his right. On the other hand, most countries emphasize obedience to the collective over the rights of the individual; many immigrants, such as my wife and some of my colleagues, came to America seeking freedom. I am grateful to live here.
The author is a self-described philosopher, but apparently has little respect for the rights of private property. As a philosopher, he should return to the writings of John Locke, not to mention Ayn Rand, and learn why respect for private property is a pillar of freedom (assuming you value the latter).
Cohesion in society is desirable, provided it is not controlling. However, the author does not investigate what factors may have undermined social cohesion in America. The presence of over 30 million illegal aliens, roughly one tenth of the entire population, should be a cause for alarm. Moreover, the cultural Marxists in charge of the educational and media systems, not to mention government bureaucracy, have made it a deliberate goal to exacerbate tensions within America and other Western societies, along lines of race, sex, income, religion, and so on. That makes America a low-trust society, and one reason I support secession (I have posted maps on my own Substack).
Odd too, recalling the times I have been urged to make aliyah, and strongly considered it. As an American observer of Israeli society from thousands of miles away, Israel appears to be far more fractured socially than America. Israel is a much less individualistic country than America, so shouldn't social cohesion be easier to achieve? But the hostility between the secular left and the chareidi right seems insurmountable.
Maybe we will be fortunate on Yom Kipur to achieve unity, at least during Ne'ilah.