Civilization might not be disintegrating, but we sure are living in “interesting times” compared to the life two or three decades ago. It definitely feels worse, so I can empathize. I certainly struggle with home affordability, or lack thereof. Plus other things but home ownership is a big one.

Maybe you’re better off financially and emotionally, so you find it sophomoric - like a parent looking at a kid in high school struggling with their emotions.

While I do think wealth inequality is a big issue of our time, I don't think it is an issue of civilizational level disintegration -- that would look like the total amount of wealth in our society decreasing, which by all accounts doesn't seem to be happening.

While I'm far from rich, I have done well the last couple years after many years of being poor. But even when I was poor I looked around and saw lots of people who were wealthy and doing well, which I took as a general measure of how society was doing, instead of using my own situation or those in my immediate circle as a measure of that.

Understood, thank you.