Social Collapse (II)
Famine, War, and Epidemics
It is often claimed that just 0.36% of billionaire wealth would be enough to end world hunger, according to the director of the United Nations World Food Program.
This is a myth.
The United Nations is powerless in the face of the relentless ambitions of nations and corporations. It is unable to establish lasting peace or even agreements to prevent the devastation caused by war. Nor is it—though not solely to blame—capable of steering governments, and by extension their citizens, toward a more just, equitable, and humane world that ensures some degree of justice between the powerful and the powerless, and ultimately, between all human beings.
However, we must not ignore our own complicity in injustice. Injustice, even on a small scale, is the mother of Great Injustice. The greed of billionaires mirrors the individual selfishness of each one of us. It is a system that encourages and rewards this behavior, under the excuse of technological progress and unchecked freedom, even beyond freedom, perpetuating a ceaseless struggle of all against all.
Meaningful change will only come through the transformation of the human heart. Top-down reforms have failed—this is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, where there are no visionary leaders, philosophers, or strategists to guide us. What remains is the need to build systems of survival that are wise, just, and humane.
Famine, war, and epidemics are the names of the three great scourges of humanity.
The Master Jesus already warned about the characteristics of the times that mark the end of an era, not the ultimate end of time, but the dissolution of a failing age and the dawn of a new one:
Matthew 24:6-8
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
This is not about believing in apocalyptic prophecy, but rather acknowledging that this ancient wisdom reflects a deep understanding of history: every day ends in night, and yet, another dawn follows.
When Social Collapse occurs, it affects vast groups of the population, entire nations and civilizations. Hence, “you will hear of wars,” as it is happening today, on every news channel, everywhere, in every corner of the globe. Despite our immense knowledge and wealth —resources that could, in theory, bring justice to all— we remain incapable of governing ourselves with basic sanity.
The causes are complex and intertwined, just as winter brings not only cold, but storms and strong winds. In modern times, several scholars have developed theories to explain societal collapse. Here are a few key perspectives:
Historical and Theoretical Insights on Collapse
Arnold J. Toynbee - Creative Minorities and Stagnation
In “A Study of History,” Toynbee argues that civilizations rise and fall based on how their “creative minorities” respond to challenges. When these creative elites lose their innovative spirit, society stagnates and unresolved problems accumulate.
Question: Are today’s elites focused on solving problems—or simply on hoarding wealth and privilege? We no longer see genuine elites, but rather corporate interests that control governments. Politicians act as their agents. This is often referred to as the “deep state”—the hidden forces that actually run nations.
Joseph Tainter - The Cost of Complexity
In “The Collapse of Complex Societies,” Tainter explores how increasing complexity leads to diminishing returns. For example, managing multiple farms might seem to increase output, but in reality, it requires more machinery, labor, taxes, and bureaucracy—ultimately reducing overall efficiency. This probably was the case of Mayan civilization caming to an end, the falling of the Chaco culture and of the Roman Empire. Tainter, points in his theory that the main cause is the failure of institutions to solve the growing problems of societies, whose complexity causes social investments to reach a point where, given that complexity, the return is lower than expected.
Question: Doesn’t this resemble today’s business environment? A small business owner faces so many regulations, taxes, and bureaucratic barriers that starting something new often feels more risky than rewarding.
Jared Diamond – Environmental Mismanagement in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
In his work, Diamond highlights environmental degradation as a key factor in societal collapse. He recounts how Easter Island’s obsession with building Moai statues led to total deforestation, which eventually crippled the island’s ecosystem.
He gives the example of Easter Island, where religious worship demanded the erection of more and more “Moais,” the famous giant stone statues of the island, leading to the progressive deforestation of the forests to obtain the wood needed for their transport, until finally the island was turned into a barren landscape with no forest resources. The more adverse the climatic and environmental conditions, the more trees were destroyed to erect more Moais to obtain the favor of the gods.
Question: What are our modern-day “Moais”? Perhaps they are gasoline-powered cars, convenience technology, or the wasteful practices we justify as progress. In response to ecological disaster, we hasten the damage—replacing gas cars with electric ones that still rely on fossil fuel–powered grids.
Pitirim Sorokin - Cultural Cycles and Materialism
In “Social and Cultural Dynamics” Sorokin identifies three cultural stages that are characterized by the mindset typical of a given culture:
- Idealistic: Spiritually focused.
- Sensate: Focused on material pleasure.
- Idealistic-Sensate: A synthesis of the two.
Sorokin believed that our Western civilization is engulfed in extreme materialism —a precursor to collapse.
Question: Isn't this exactly how our society feels? Every day we wake up bombarded by materialistic messages in search of “greater comfort,” “rest,” “unusual experiences,” “money and power,” and even “bodily changes” that are now possible. And yet, a sense of unease ligers, — anxiety, instability and disconnection are widespread. We drown our fears in distractions, adventure, and consumption.
Samuel P. Huntington - The Clash of Civilizations
In “The Clash of Civilizations”, Huntington predicted that future conflicts would be cultural and religious, rather than merely political or economic.
We’re seeing this now in the tensions between Eurasia and the West, and between the Islamic and Christian-rooted worldviews.
Question: Aren’t most modern wars—like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or extremist violence—driven by deep-rooted cultural or religious tensions? Though we cannot discard completely, as usual, a factor of human ambitions and economic interests.
Epidemics and the Cost of Progress
Why are new diseases, like COVID-19, emerging? The causes are many, but common threads include overcrowding of humans and animals, reckless production methods, and environmental neglect.
Before modern medicine, many diseases—such as leprosy, plague, and cholera—were curbed through basic hygiene, sanitation, and public health initiatives. Education also played a key role. Today, however, the erosion of community, family, and collective responsibility contributes to the resurgence of infectious threats
ll these factors point to a slow descent into a New Middle Ages—an era shaped not by enlightenment but by confusion, disintegration, and survivalism. The length of this era depends on our ability—and willingness—to change.
No comments:
Post a Comment