The most profound social and economic transformation over the last quarter century has been how knowledge and intellectual assets have supplanted physical labor in rearranging work and organizations. Competition for high-paying, knowledge-intensive jobs has become fierce, as corporations seek out the best talent for the cheapest price. Knowledge-intensive work is the key to long term success. A new nationalism seems irrelevant considering that America's well being is inextricably linked to the rest of the world. A purpose-driven life seems unattainable given lifestyles built on brand loyalty. Innovation seems an illusion given massive job de-skilling and outsourcing. In post-civil rights America, people who believe themselves most free are most enslaved. Such are the perils of prosperity.