It's a particular kind of religiosity

It's the American version of the same fundamentalist impluse that we see in Saudi Arabia, in Kashmir, in religions around the world: Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Muslim. They all have certain features in common. In a world of disconcerting change, when large and complex forces threaten familiar and comfortable guideposts, the natural impluse is to grab hold of the tree trunk that seems to have the deepest roots and hold on for dear life and never question the possibility that it's not going to be the source of your salvation. And the deepest roots are in philosophical and religious traditions that go way back. You don't hear very much about the Sermon on the Mount, or about the teachings of Jesus on giving to the poor, or the beatitudes. Today all I hear about is vengeance, the brimstone.

What's missing? I asked.

Families, the environment, communities, the beauty of life, the arts. Abraham Maslow, best known for his hierarchy of needs, had a dictum that if the only tool you use is a hammer, then every problem begins to look like a nail. Translating that into this discussion: If the only tool you use for measuring value is a price tag or monetization, then those values that are not easily monetized begin to look like they have no value. And so there's an easy contempt, which can be summoned on a moment's notice for tree-huggers or people concerned about global warming.

Gee, if I had been given the right book

I'd be richer than Bill Gates. Or if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. If wishes were free beggers would ride. Like dancing on the Titantic. Speak of angeles and they flap their wings. Speak of the devil and he appears at your door. I'm a fuckin' confused person like you, struggling to get through the goddamn day. I had houses, women, children - a lot of things. Everything went out in the divorce. It was a typical divorce, very punitive, which destroys the ability of the income earner to really recoup a life. I got divorced at the peak of my earnings and I'll never again match that peck. It's very hard to make money, harder still to hold on to it. I've let a lot of money slip through my fingers. All of men's problems stem from their mothers.