Despite glomming on to some sneering right wing stereotypes of the so-called "Spock Generation." you make a generally sound point here about the need for a cohesive shared ethos for cultures to survive.

(As Lao Tzu put it, "Without a sense of awe, disaster will follow.") Awe, of course, is a blend of love and fear, whether it is conveyed by religious superstition, nationalism in time of war, or whatever. And our western--particularly American--civilization, has had little discernible shared "sense of awe" during my entire lifetime (from 1949 to today). We were all patriotic in my youth, of course, owing to our recent war experience and the threats of the Cold War. And hence, we had respect for American traditions of civility, democracy, and the rule of law.

But today, that is all gone, and as our civilization crumbles, those with wealth and power become ever more corrupt; religious zealots become more fanatical, credulous, and prone to violence; and everyone else, it seems, is going a bit crazy (e.g. pick-up trucks festooned with mounted flags and Trump stickers barreling through densely populated commercial districts with no concern at all for the safety of other drivers, bicycles, or pedestrians). I have no solution to this predicament--I doubt that there are any, especially due to the ticking clock of climate disruption. So my own solution is simply to cultivate mindfulness and compassion, and to grow gardens, grow community, and grow awareness, as best I can, until I turn to compost...