I think the premise of god still casts a long shadow over modern culture.

The logical fallacy of monotheism is that a spiritual absolute would be the essence of sentience, from which we rise, not an ideal of wisdom and judgement, from which we fell. Yet no culture could exist by simply reveling in sentience, so we adopted this top down father figure lawgiver as a cultural ideal.

The problem is confusing the ideal with the absolute. This equilibrium at the heart of reality, the zero between positive and negative, the flatline between the ups and downs, is basis, while an ideal would be a preferred apex.

Consequently we have come to view good and bad as some cosmic conflict between the forces of righteousness and evil, when they are the basic biological binary of beneficial and detrimental. The 1/0 of biological response. Even bacteria sense the attraction/repulsion.

So it is from this elemental black and white that all the more evolved cultural standards, mores, codes, arise. Such as love, respect, responsibility, trust, honor, humility, sympathy, etc. As well as the negative impulses, such as hate, envy, jealousy, etc.

Yet since we view the dichotomy of good and bad as the ideal, not the essence, conflicts tend to become a race to the bottom, of us, versus them, good versus bad, black versus white. Rather than each side being able to hold and expect the other to understand and respect the complex cultural and social constructs that are fundamental to our civilized existence.

Instead many issues are dominated by emotion and ego and anyone trying to explore and understand all the details, complexities and nuances of any of the many social conflicts is quickly branded a traitor to the side and the whole situation polarizes into petty, but powerful tribal cabals.

While this is somewhat off the topic of mentors, it does go to the underlaying issue of dogma and how pervasive it really is.