Social Composting
"I was doing time in the universal mind ....." -- Jim Morrison
If you are reading this at the same time you are sure that certain that the sociopathic felon's plan to nominate unconvicted sex offender Matt Gaetz for Attorney General is further evidence of an attack on democracy and decency -- I think it's worse -- I hope that you read this with an open mind. (Note: same signal with Tulsi Gabbard for DNI.)
Despite my recognizing that those who read my rants are likely tired of my saying this, I will start by saying it again. All organic life on Earth -- from the single-celled beings to human empires -- either grow or decay. Humans have recognized this in the context of empires for thousands of years. As I've noted X1000, it is the higher meaning of the esoteric story of the Tower of Babel. (Those of lower understanding mistake it for why some people speak English, French, Russian, etc.)
Most people who are familiar with sociology understand how the sun has set on ancient and more recent empires. For it is much easier to see the full picture when one is outside of the frame. For what is variously known as societal-, civilizational-, and systematic collapse, does not usually take place quickly. It requires the synergy of a number of factors. Let's take a brief look at some of these.
(None of this should be mistaken for my original thinking. It's from a number of sociologists who are far smarter than me. I began studying these things in college, and have continued that habit ever since.)
The two that most people could identify without reading the books I have are government corruption and an over-stretched military. It is important to recognize that this rot can be found in autocratic, democratic, or republic forms of government. And per military, there is often a need to hire "private" forces, a.k.a. mercenaries.
Another factor that is often found is the exhaustion of soil. The reduction in foods from the soil adds to the social stratification between the haves and have nots. This includes the raising of food sources from cows to chickens, that rely on plant foods. And this is but one of the ways that the "public health" is degraded. It's siblings include toxic environments that result from human and industrial wastes, drug use and abuse, and disease.
Add "bright, shiny things." A common features in decaying empires is distractions from serious thought, with attention focused on amusement and entertainment. Pleasure-seeking can be as addictive as a drug, and blind us. I suggest reading about studies of teenagers' reactions to having their cell phones taken away for a few hours.
These features tend to bring about another, where a group of the population becomes fixated on a political ideology of nationalism and jingoism. This includes the mixing of politics with religion. This will result in an increased investment in social Darwinism. This opens the door for that group to determine who will be in power, including the winner of the most recent presidential election in this country. And every tyrant in human history has known that by identifying a "common enemy" -- or enemies -- they can get a large percentage of a population to forget their low level of being. And to rejoice in acting upon their hate.
There are other factors, of course, but in an effort to keep this shorter than I am tempted to, I'll end here. For now, anyhow. But not before I add that we are helpless victims, or the audience in Miami watching the decay of Morrison on stage. We must be activists, artists, and farmers, to bring about a new growth out of the compost the sociopathic felon is scattering about. That is one of the potentials available to us.
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You have written a compelling look at how our societies grow, decay and die.
I read it and saw how well you wove it together. Bravo!
This sentence really shows what we must do, and where we must go to save ourselves:
We must be activists, artists, and farmers, to bring about a new growth out of the compost the sociopathic felon is scattering about.
provoking post. Love the metaphors. We have watched The Felon deteriorate on stage and did not take action to dispose of him. So now we perhaps need a flood to wash away everything and deposit some silt. That and compost for our new beginning. It’s frightening and exciting at the same time. 