An interesting perspective on our culture and how it relates to economic success. Tyler Cohen for Bloomberg writes:

Religion

Cultural problems are not usually well suited for top-down, designed solutions, but nonetheless two ideas come to mind, both of which involve a shift in the zeitgeist rather than planned policies.

The first is that the case for religions, in particular strict religions that proscribe substance use, may be stronger than we had thought. Although I am not myself religious, I find myself wishing for a religious flowering in more parts of the U.S., and I do mean actual adherence to the doctrine, not just lip service. Without substance abuse, and with lower rates of divorce, the social and economic problems of these regions would be less severe. In Utah, for instance, where an unusually high percentage of the population is Mormon, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and broken families are all much smaller problems. Utah also has a relatively robust middle class. Even with imperfect adherence, and for religions other than Mormonism, religion seems to boost social capital and individual outcomes.

As a person who is an atheist, this view is a bit hard to swallow at first, but interesting non the less. It does seem that for some religion is a connection to their structure and community. This community provides opportunities in life and a natural check for the things that ill us. The fact that you will have to face those in your church at some point will undoubtedly make someone think twice about posting racist content on social media. It may also help someone get help for an opiate addiction.

A Country Divided

A simple question is this: When you wake up in the morning and start to ponder your day, can you really imagine that, on key issues, “the deplorables” (whomever you might identify them to be) might be right and you wrong? And are you reading and promoting thinkers who encourage such open attitudes? If that is the case, the cultural dialogue in this country eventually will prove to be richer and rewarding, to the eventual benefit of us all.

This echos what the premise of my previous article, My Neighbors. It does seem that too many have become much too entrenched in their “side”. This divisiveness in our society cannot be improving any situation.

Also check out

Tyler Cohen’s blog, Marginal Revolution. He has a really great perspective on so many subjects.