No one has mentioned the erosion of religion, but I will point this out as a great cause of these troubles.
That's a good point, but I actually think this is also a result of the materialism I was speaking of. People no longer worship God, they now worship Mammon instead (as well as everything else it brings, like possesions etc - heck, even in relationships people have become materialistic, witness the way sex is now treated as a mere commodity).
Not to be a jerk, but as far as I can see the two of you are making the exact same point, only stating it differently...
I guess individualism just doesn't work very well for all people.
