It is my privilege to share workspace with a soon-to-be-distinguished student of history , Ryan Sayre “Prayers” Patrico. Like other advocates of civilization, Ryan is shocked and dismayed by the almost total ignorance of history among young Americans. The only consolation I can offer him is that this is not simply a case of American barbarism.
This past weekend I had a great conversation about politics with a lively and intelligent seventeen year old. At some point I mentioned, in passing, the fall of the Berlin Wall. He interjected, “When was that, around 1997?” This would have been depressing enough coming from an American, but my young interlocutor was a European exchange student. And by “European” I mean born and raised in Frankfurt .
O tempora, o mores!
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
