"Look, if that’s what the Europeans want to do, they should go for it. But part of what makes America special is a certain harshness—first embodied in the Puritans and their quest to settle America’s unforgiving wilderness. Great achievements, new ideas, ingenious inventions emerge from a culture that prizes travail and perseverance, not one that prioritizes comfort and ephemeral satisfaction."
Where's this wilderness that I can go lay claim to and homestead?
The world has changed, and it seems the author has not realized it. Many people who own land had to use lawyers/contracts to get it and may not even own the water or mineral rights. The world isn't simple. It's still harsh, but is so now in the courts and bureaucracy instead of in the fields and natural perils.
Oh. My. Fucking. God.