I had an interesting conversation this week via Substack about my difficulty setting a social novel past 2000 or 2005. I can picture an individual interacting within their social group, but not characters moving within society. The proliferation of screens has had an effect. But, thinking about American society further, it’s the extreme commercialization of life that I’m noting. The relationship between the individual and society is financial (full stop). Money is necessary (I don’t regard it as negative), but making money can’t be the only shared value (long term) between people. In the past, shared social values weren’t always positive - society restricted individuals - but there was something to say about it. I’m living in a society that chases financial gain exclusively. It’s gotten to the point where the only things worth doing are the things that make money - no other value recognized. It’s not sustainable, even in the social sense, at some point there will be something to say about it!