Commentary Some think tank or polling organization should ask 1,000 Americans: What is the best thing most Americans can do to make the country better? Presumably, those most influenced by their schooling and by the media would answer something along the lines of: “fight racism” or “work to reduce inequality.” Whatever the specific answer, most young people—and those older who lean left—would most likely respond by citing some form of activism. Since the early 1960s and ’70s, a moral life has been defined as engaging in activism. One improves America—indeed, one becomes a good person—by fighting for a cause. That cause may be feminism, environmentalism, socialism, material equality, racial equality, LGBTQ+ liberation, or the welfare state—free health care, free college tuition, free preschool, free day care, free school breakfasts and lunches, even free income. This is a massive break with the American past. While there were always causes to champion—the …