Studies show that social engagement is one of the best predictors of happiness.Yet we associate with each other less than ever.Robert Putnam of Harvard University called this phenomenon"bowling alone";he said that the decline ofprivate associations,particularly churches,had led to an isolation that was making people poorer emotionally.That pattern has accelerated as we swivel toward a more digital society.We live in the richest,most prosperous,freest time in human history.That's a wonderful gift we've all been given.But we've also shed gifts that are ancient and vital:the gift of solid family structure;the gift of common religious commitment;the gift of a culture and heritage of meritocracy（精英教育）.No government program can fill those gaps-and every effort to do so ends with the exacerbation of precisely the failures govemment programs are designed to alleviate.
研究表明，社会参与度是幸福的最佳指标之一。但人们之间的交往却比以往任何时候都要少。哈佛大学的Robert Putnam称这种现象为“独自打保龄球”。他称，私人团体，尤其是教会的衰落造成了孤立，使得人们在情感上变得更为贫瘠。随着我们的社会变得更加数字化，这种模式已经加剧。我们生活在人类历史上最富裕、最繁荣、最自由的时代。这是给予我们所有人的一份美好的“礼物”。但是，我们也丢失了一些古老而重要的“礼物”：稳固的家庭结构；共同的宗教信仰；精英教育的文化和传统。没有任何政府项目可以填补这些空白——而且政府计划为减轻这些问题所做的所有努力，恰恰都以失败的不断加剧而告终。
