From David Brooks in The Atlantic via Marginal Revolution:

The economist Tyler Cowen suggests a thought experiment to illustrate this point.

Take out a piece of paper. In one column, list all of the major problems this country faces—inequality, political polarization, social distrust, climate change, and so on. In another column, write seven words: “America has more talent than ever before.”

Cowen’s point is that column B is more important than column A. Societies don’t decline when they are in the midst of disruption and mess; they decline when they lose energy. And creative energy is one thing America has in abundance.

How is talent going to solve the first problem on Brooks’ list: inequality [of talent]?