Who says these are mutually exclusive? Hard times make strong men, strong men make good times, good times make weak men, weak men make hard times.

So weak men make hard men? You're welcome.

How graciously the womenfolk leave us to our tragic autopoiesis.

Sure, by way of traumatizing an entire generation. Nobody thanked you.

I'm being sarcastic. This entire concept is bogus.

Hah! I'm certain a lot of people want to believe it's bogus, mostly because of what that says about their character. Observed reality suggests there's some truth here. An example in miniature would be the frequency with which family fortunes are lost within a generation or two.

Nobody, but the focus on individualism as the driver of everything might cause a breakdown in social objectives.