People need a mission. They need a reason to get out of bed, a hill to climb, something that demands effort and offers meaning in return. Something that
makes them feel brave, part of something special, something important. If we don’t give people a mission—if families, communities, institutions, and leaders fail to provide one—
someone else will. And lately, a lot of Americans are volunteering for fights that aren’t theirs, on behalf of people who aren’t them, for causes they’ll never have to live with the consequences of.