“It is an atmosphere we breathe in, rather than an argument we consider.” Thus wrote T. S. Eliot about the very idea of happiness Americans have adopted for their own. When raising sons in modern America, we should understand what cultural air they—and we—are breathing. Is that “pursuit of happiness” keeping our hearts and minds restless?
In their book, Why We Are Restless, Dr. Benjamin Storey and his wife Dr. Jenna Silber Storey explore the inheritance of American-style happiness: where did it come from? Who has wrestled with it before? And how should we really engage with it? Ben Storey sits down with us to discuss this week on HeightsCast.
Chapters:
00:08:44 Montaigne’s recipe for happiness
00:15:16 “Immanent contentment”: now is enough
00:17:19 Pascal’s reach for God
00:20:11 Rousseau’s earthly transcendence
00:29:09 The American Dream
00:33:45 Democracy and restlessness
00:39:38 The highs and lows of infinite possibility
00:45:02 Advice for high school seniors
00:49:30 Advice for parents
Links:
Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey
Also on the Forum:
ChatGPT Holds These Truths to Be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis
The Importance of History, Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding