'It's not normal for parents to raise their children in isolation'

"Modern people "like to imagine ourselves as autonomous individuals, but in the natural human life cycle we spend a large proportion of our lives dependent on others," said Louise Perryn. "We often feel a longing for something like a village," especially "college-educated, relatively affluent Americans who moved away from their extended families in pursuit of career opportunities." Yet "even though forming communities" would "solve many economic and practical problems," particularly in raising children, few people actually "make the attempt.""

"The "past decade may rank as one of the worst in the history of American education," says Idrees Kahloon. The "decline began well before the pandemic, so Covid-era disruptions alone cannot explain it." While "smartphones and social media probably account for some of the drop," there is "another explanation: a pervasive refusal to hold children to high standards." In short, "schools have demanded less and less from students - who have responded, predictably, by giving less and less.""

"The recently released "after-action report on the January wildfires" in Los Angeles "confirms what has become increasingly clear in recent years, as we witness failure after failure: We don't know how to execute emergency alerting in this country," says Kelly McKinney. "For all our technology, for all our wealth, Americans face a dangerous future with hundreds of cumbersome, inconsistent and dangerously slow state and local systems duct-taped together. Unless we face this head-on, more will needlessly die.""

Modern societies prize autonomy while humans spend large portions of life dependent on others. Many college-educated, relatively affluent people who moved away from extended families feel a longing for village-like communities but rarely attempt to form them despite practical benefits for raising children. American education has declined over the past decade, a trend that predates the pandemic; smartphones and social media contribute but do not fully explain falling outcomes. A pervasive refusal to hold children to high standards and lowering academic demands have reduced student effort and achievement. Emergency alerting systems remain fragmented, slow, and inconsistent, risking needless deaths without coordinated reform. Remote work can support higher birth rates by increasing family flexibility.

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