This is the part that makes me doubt things. Was life really easier 20 years ago, or was I just shielded from economics from my parents.

I live like this, it has been 10 years, no problem

Ostracizing used to work because we needed community. Now they will just go on the Internet and find hundreds if not thousands pro approve what they’re doing.

And whatever the “village” did for a person can be bought with money. And people don’t really do free work for you anyway, maybe your immediate family but that’s about it. So people are more and more individualistic.