Public discourse rots when humility dies

It may be an age-related perception, but with each passing day I recognize the world in which I grew up less and less. And no, I’m not talking about advancements in science and technology, the liberalizing of societal attitudes (to love, sex, and family), nor am I jabbing a gnarled old finger of resentment at those darn kids these days with their so-called “music”. (Au contraire, much of my favorite music is so-called.)

No, this changed and unrecognizable world I’m describing is our collective mental environment, a world consisting of the confused sum total of…