U.S. Insight

6/13/2026

I have noted elsewhere the general decline of the U.S. as a nation and a society. We see that in the quality of our government(s) and those we elect to serve. (They are primarily serving themselves.) We see it in the tribalism and separation into political factions. We see it in the inability to converse with and respectfully disagree with one another while still being a community. And now I believe I’m seeing it in the actions and occurrences of our everyday lives; those events that aren’t visibly tied to our political affiliation.

I have noticed a downward slide in the quality of life in America and in the safety and quality of the many items and services around us that we depend on daily. Some examples: In the airline industry we are hearing frequently about airport mishaps; minor aircraft collisions on the ground, near misses in the air over airports, unruly, belligerent passengers. The substantial number of mass shootings involving angry, disgruntled people who resort to a gun to express their rage. The seemingly decreasing quality of goods we purchase and then poor repairs that clause yet more trouble.

There seems to be a slow, but pervasive, lack of caring and attention among people who are operating, making or fixing the many items we depend on in the 21st century. Pride in the quality of our work seems to be being replaced with the rote showing up required for a paycheck, putting in the required hours, then clocking out and leaving without having taken care to do the best we are capable of doing. Going above and beyond seems to be for fools. Making sure our work product benefits someone, not harms or causes others difficulty has become passee.

Apparently, the disfunction that is now such a part of our community lives is spilling over into our work lives. I’m sure that the experts would tell us that is to be expected; we are complex, integrated beings and the different aspects of our lives are not as separate as we might believe.

If we can’t talk to each other rationally and at least with some respect, if we can’t be bothered to incorporate quality into our daily activities and actions, how will we ever be able to find our way out of this morass. That is the question before us on the 250th birthday of our nation. That is the question that 13 nations/empires before us failed to successfully answer – and they fell into irrelevance.

Dave L.