America is uglier, dirtier, more fragmented, more addicted, less informed and less hopeful than it was a decade ago. It is also richer, more powerful, and further ahead of other Western countries. Both stories can be accurate at the same time. There is nothing wrong with our economy or our military. The problem is us. We are spiritually sick and socially fragmented, lacking in connection to our own history and culture or to a sense of a higher power and purpose. There are no shortage of bad actors who are responsible, beginning with state-sponsored demoralization campaigns (China, Russia, Qatar) and the domestic elites on both the left and the right motivated by money, greed, power, and ego. There are the fragmenting effects of new technologies that overwhelmed our social immune systems. There are the social effects of immigration from regions of the world where the vast majority of people do not share our values or our culture. Our brains have become playgrounds for techno nihilists and foreign spy services. Yet we are still the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the planet and the unique guardian of ideas of human freedom that are essential to our future as a species and produce cool stuff. Unplug yourself from the demoralization machine, and learn how to think like an American again. countyhighway.com/subscribe