I'm not trying to glorify a life of reckless abandon, but in the context of the actual article, it's a little concerning to me that normal parts of human life like humor and sexuality seem to be a negative to you, and we should instead strive for "sobriety." That seems a rather grim view of human existence. I'm also not sure I can take seriously the notion that somehow this is a more serious moment in history than all of the others that came before it. The Cold War and the threat of worldwide nuclear annihilation? World wars that killed millions and the worst genocide in human history? Colonialism and slavery? Religious civil wars? General poverty and starvation? At what point in history were things less serious than now? When were humor and love somehow more appropriate?
In my opinion that (as a mainstream social narrative) is a false dilemma. The real division is between casual relationships and long relationships. The message I got as a young person is that casual sex should be celebrated and endorsed. That is a lie. Casual sex erodes long, meaningful relationships. It makes it that much harder to commit. Long relationships are how functional families are built. Functional families provide a bedrock to the society at large.
I think you are having a very idealised vision of society and families. You would be surprised to see what lies beneath all those "functional" families of the past. To my experience, having an active sex life (not talking here about carelessness) and multiple partners, even one night stands, could be quite helpful for someone and help them open up and experience life.
I mean these are all sort of arbitrary categories. I'm not saying "go have casual sex, it'll enrich your life." I agree that long-term meaningful relationships are fulfilling. But sexual attraction, flirting, humor—these are all spontaneous parts of human societies and human lives. To suggest we're living in such a serious time that they're not appropriate is macabre and anti-human, in my opinion, and will only create more suffering.
