Vaclav Havel and a Polish leader of Solidarity, both former communists, wrote about their disappointment with the post revolutionary period that they had both helped to create.
Both were saddened to see the rise of secularism and consumerism. They railed against the new 'credit card life'. Both had hoped for a society of 'truth'.
That is sad. I wish I could have explained to them that the new freedom of commerce does not generate a love of Tolstoy or a love of the arts and 'truth'.
The world of commerce does more, much more. While the two revolutionaries saw ordinary people enthusiastic, working hard, eating abundance and buying a lifestyle, what they can't see is the the proliferation of artists, dancers, philosophers and creative people who have found new authenticity.
Nobody in the new commercial society needs to stay up all night copying a censored forbidden book. A few people are living authentic lives (living their own 'truth') and generating dialogs, articles, books, films, conferences and videos that are creative and extraordinary beyond anything that could come out of a closed communist society.
Maybe the new Tolstoys are Charles Krauthammer, Mary Douglas, Thomas Sowell, Craig Newmark, Sergey Brin, Bibi Netanyahu, Jonas Salk or Amos Alon. All products of consumer commerce.