We are pretty far down the rabbit hole. Consider the effect of our individualistic ethos is to create an atomized society, that can be more easily controlled by institutional authority and mediated by a predatory financial system.

A large part of the problem, though, is that people tend to focus on effects, rather than causes. So they never figure out what is going on.

Here is an essay where I try putting the current situation in context;

https://johnbrodixmerrymanjr.medium.com/the-cliffs-edge-2b382ae2a73

Here is an older one, trying to describe the financial dynamic;

https://medium.com/discourse/the-worm-in-the-apple-of-modern-capitalism-a46081000d5a