Summary

In realism, people drew attention to sin and weakness. The thinking was harshly realistic, and was shaped by the philosophers of the time. In this view, all humans are limited in that we cannot know everything about the large and complicated world. We must acknowledge our limitations and act accordingly. Romanticism, on the other hand, emphasized inner goodness. It trusted the inner self as authoritative, acknowledged the beauty in human nature, and allowed people to dream. These two schools of philosophy were balanced for much of history.

Around the 1940s, the culture emphasized realism over romanticism. Children were raised with the values of hard work and humility. Brooks dubs this the Little Me time. By the 1950s, however, the culture began to focus on self-esteem in psychology and how to create well-being by cultivating high self-esteem. No one wanted to discuss sin...