As I'm writing this morning, I'm listening to a riveting podcast about the collapse of the late Bronze Age, which happened very quickly, and all at once--it wasn't just one part of the civilization, but all parts (7-9 thriving societies, depending on how one counts). There was an extended drought, which led to a collapse in trade routes, which was disastrous in a world so interconnected. If trade routes collapse, and your individual society isn't self-sufficient, well disaster falls fast and hard. It's hard not to see parallels to our own time.
Perhaps I see the parallels because I'm wired that way. I've always been on the lookout for impending collapse. Those signs are all around us.
Of course, in many ways, those signs have always been there. Even in my early years, I remember people discussing the fall of the Roman empire and the parallels to the U.S. of the 1970's. It has been that way decade after decade.
But it's hard not to feel that we could be on a brink of something much more catastrophic. Maybe I feel that way because I've spent several days listening to bits and pieces of the impeachment trial of former president Trump in the U.S. Senate. I am horrified, and I didn't experience it firsthand.
I don't understand how any of those Senators could vote to acquit. I realize that I'm predisposed to agree with the House impeachment managers/prosecutors. I worry about what happens if there aren't severe consequences.
I worry about what happens if there are severe consequences.
The podcast ends by talking about the times that civilization does not collapse, and that humans in groups are much more resilient than we think we are. We have technology and intelligence on our side--plus we have times in history that serve as a cautionary tale.
Are we on the brink of collapse or n the brink of transformation?
Perhaps the answer is yes.
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