Making the forest safe from bears. That was our topic, as a bunch of Boy Scout fathers sat in a circle around a late night campfire. Kids were asleep. We could discuss issues of the world, now. There had been a lot of bear sightings lately. Made you edgy. The topic percolated up and poured forth, like hot coffee on a cold morning. Everybody had something to say. If Donald Trump’s wall and enthralling methods had been in season, we would have discussed them. But this was long ago. Conversation turned to big ideas, ingenious schemes, fixing the world, making...