Sorry for another drop-off in blogging: we went into New York City for a Yankee game (they lost) and a show (Frost/Nixon).  More on the trip tomorrow.  This evening I saw this AP story and had to post on it:

So you’re between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A
worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like
this: Sex, drugs, a little rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe some cash, or at least
the car keys.

Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family
was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an
extensive survey — more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages
13-24 — conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of
happiness among America’s young people.

Next
was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant
other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young
people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.

"They’re
my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from
Queens in New York. "My mom tells me that even if I do something
stupid, she’s still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that
makes me feel very happy and blessed."

     There is some bad news in this poll – race and class dynamics of unhappiness.   But the main thrust of the data would please Confucius and Mencius.   What was the Master’s "greatest ambition"?   To care for elders, cherish the young and honor his friends….  He would be happy with American youth today, at least as they express themselves in this poll.

      But, of course, living up to those ideals is another, much more difficult, story.