“It is an atmosphere we breathe in, rather than an argument we consider.” Thus wrote T. S. Eliot about the very idea of happiness Americans have adopted for their own. When raising sons in modern America, we should understand what cultural air they—and we—are breathing. Is that “pursuit of happiness” keeping our hearts and minds restless?

In their book, Why We Are Restless, Dr. Benjamin Storey and his wife Dr. Jenna Silber Storey explore the inheritance of American-style happiness: where did it come from? Who has wrestled with it before? And how should we really engage with it? Ben Storey sits down with us to discuss this week on HeightsCast.

Chapters:

00:08:44 Montaigne’s recipe for happiness

00:15:16 “Immanent contentment”: now is enough

00:17:19 Pascal’s reach for God

00:20:11 Rousseau’s earthly transcendence

00:29:09 The American Dream

00:33:45 Democracy and restlessness

00:39:38 The highs and lows of infinite possibility

00:45:02 Advice for high school seniors

00:49:30 Advice for parents

Links:

Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey

Also on the Forum:

ChatGPT Holds These Truths to Be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis

The Importance of History, Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding