why is judaism better about keeping out the losers?

[sixtynine seventy]

Maybe the times are changing too rapidly for people to cope gracefully

Yes, I've heard about the Flynn effect where everyone gets more intelligent because of environmental factors like less disease and better education. Then I wonder why don't I see the Flynn effect much in action? I wonder if there is some sort of equilibrium, like, "Life is 10% more complicated, but people are 5% more intelligent" and then we fall behind. Or maybe we are swapping one kind of intelligence for another such that it isn't coming out when we need it.

I've been to China and admire a number of aspects about how things are there. Supposedly the Chinese are more intelligent than Americans from tests, and the genetics say they are predisposed to higher intelligence than people of European descent. But being in urban, modern China is more complicated than living in urban, modern America. Plus learning to read Chinese is really hard and saps their intelligence.

In Taiwan, the government at times has confiscated books written in the Latin alphabet. The basis for this was to prevent the culture from being debased. They are keeping it complicated.

In Japan, one group decided they wanted to live in a Hutterite commune, so they did. They are keeping it simple.

on forgiveness there are people who remain in abusive situations

I have seen this and have been pressured along this general line. The injunction about forgiveness makes the most sense in a context with a strong external authority to impose discipline and limits. This frees up the average person to be forgiving. In modern life it is much easier for forgiving to become condoning. One Protestant pastor said that Simeon and Levi did the right thing. I was shocked by that. Most say they were excessive.