Analysis Paragraph: "A Whole New Mind"

Pink's self-righteous humor (that is to say, he knows he is correct in what he writes ("On the off chance that you're still not convinced, let me offer one last-and illuminating-statistic."), but he attempts to use "comedy" to smoothly 'suade others rather than blatantly stating his truths) (somewhat) subtly warns his fellow academics of the impending doom progress bears for them: "our left brains have made us rich...(but) the very triumph of L-Directed Thinking has lessened its significance. The prosperity it has unleashed has placed a premium on less rational, more R-Directed sensibilities-beauty, spirituality, emotion." The development achieved thus far is due to the abundance of worldly knowledge cultivated and the applications found for that knowledge. Whether more progress cannot be made in this same way, or whether humans have grown weary of academics and would rather explore what our ancestors did, it is hard to say; regardless, "In an age of abundance, appealing only to rational, logical, and functional needs is woefully insufficient." To ensure modern legacies will be carried on, offspring must be exposed to as many members of the "hippie" (politically correct term unknown) population as possible (evolution will prevent any ancestors from being shamed, as these "hippies" will don suits), far from the domain of public education, where they must spend only the minimum amount of time required (until the education system realizes in what way the world is traveling), to become successful members of society. Attractive and somewhat functional services/products/etc. will sell more than plain services/products/etc. that are extremely functional. The all too necessary pursuit of (applicable (to the world)) knowledge will become the pursuit of "Why?" (knowledge applicable to (just) ourselves) (transcendence), which will, ironically, be trekked upon (/achieved) by means of creativity. Worldly pursuits do not make people happy; what else is there? The answers can only possibly exist in the "abnormal." "The paradox of prosperity is that while living standards have risen steadily decade after decade, personal, family, and life satisfaction haven't budged." Prophesying the end of (the flourishing) of minds like his, Pink uses this book as what could be a last opportunity to sound smart while smartness is treasured.