"A man who knows how to fix his car"

     "The city is man-made; the forest is nature’s place. ­Going to the forest means reconnecting with reality, trusting that God’s creation endures, even as man’s vanity erodes and destroys. In a different way, Matthew ­Crawford sounds a similar note. His books and essays detail the ways in which competent navigation through material reality builds our confidence. A man who knows how to fix his car is far less likely to be pushed around by an officious bureaucrat or intimidated by someone who tells him that his views are 'out of date.' In the forest—in the repair shop—we are disciplined and anchored by ­reality. Thus disciplined and anchored, we can endure the onslaughts of propaganda and resist groupthink."

     R. R. Reno, "Restoring freedom," First things no. 333 (May 2023):  68 (67-68).