Moving on up or moving away?

In another thought-provoking piece, David Brooks gives advice on what field of study a precocious kid should choose to understand the world he or she lives in. Just as he described this phenomenon in his recent book, he notes that the freedom to move encouraged by globalization has created the effect of greater social fragmentation. With the right amount of prosperity, it seems that most heads of households prefer to live with people more like them rather than those who are different. Is it instinct? Or is it a perverted form of individualism? Whatever the answer is, it’s evident that social unity requires considerable political and ideological force from the outside rather than within. Whether it’s the Kingdom of God or the Marxist Utopia, there are ideas so powerful enough to counter this individual inclination towards parochialism and isolation. I credit post-modern relativism for undoing much the spiritual and philosophic glue that promoted social unity on national and even international scales.