I think you're conflating "common stressor" with the aspiration of being financially stable, which you're right is a zero-sum game. Your argument breaks down be

I think you're conflating "common stressor" with the aspiration of being financially stable, which you're right is a zero-sum game. Your argument breaks down because its relative and finite. Money is finite and having more money than my peer is relative. If every single one of us in the country goes through the exact same experience (ex mandatory draft) then there is no relativism. I agree in the open challenge but i'm bullish on that challenge being pinned to an objective metric and not relative. If there is something truly that every single American experiences at some point in their life that is adverse in its' nature, then that is the common stressor and that is exactly what would bond us all, lowering lonliness, and depression. VERY small communities do have this, which is also in Tribes. For example very poverty-stricken neighborhoods in say Baltimore all go through similar hardships. They are among the least alone people, mentally because of this shared hardship (but also because they rely on eachother but that's another point).