We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
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We Talk Friday Ep. 3: Collapse is Inevitable
Tonight's WTF is a continuation of several conversations I have had this week, which are part of a much longer running narrative that I have held for a very long time - and is increasingly relevant today. It is one of the reasons I am on Hive, in crypto, and care about the distribution of global resources - because,
Collapse is inevitable.
They say that two things are certain, "death and taxes", but that is not actually the case - because only one of those is certain. Tax is not a natural law, it didn't exist for thousands of years - and then we created it as a concept, and then live it as if that is the only way we can live. However, while taxes aren't the topic of this article, they are definitely part of what creates the inevitable collapse.
When it comes to death, everything living must die, at least in the form in which it lived - because everything is constantly changing. However, we humans have learned not to like change and instead choose to hold onto what we have and know today, especially if we have power. And, we create systems and protections to hold onto our power - like taxes.
But, there will be an inevitable death to all things that attempt to remain the same, because everything else changes around them and will erode away its life into irrelevancy. But, quite often, pools of power will be corrupted and reach for more power to the point that it starts to undermine itself, and the wall of power collapses.
Sometimes literally.
And it can happen fast.
So, I like blockchain and distributed networks because of the security they bring, and the mitigation of risk by spreading out the risk across the network, so if one node fails, it doesn't bring down the entire web. Centralisation however is the way we are mostly operating the world today, because it is more effective and efficient at getting things done quickly. However, it is also far riskier, because if a mistake is made, that mistake impacts the entire network, affecting everything. A good example of this is the GFC in 2008, because the global financial system is pretty much centralised.
However, the collapse of centralised authority is inevitable, because power corrupts as it will keep looking to maximise itself, and grab more power. This has happened to every empire in history up until this point, and just because we are all connected now - it doesn't mean the empire can't fail. The cause of the failure is like always, overreach of the authority to the point that they are making bad decisions, many mistakes, and taking far too many resources from the people they tax to do it. Those few maximise themselves at the expense of the many - and eventually it leads to collapse, redistribution, and rebuilding.
The Roman Empire collapsed in a couple of decades, but Rome still stands.
This is because Rome is "leader agnostic" in the sense that it exists as a city, not caring about who occupies that city. It can be held by the Romans, the Nazis, or the Mafia and the culture can change in many ways, with many kinds of sub-cultures, and still it lives on.
Ever realised how silly it is to worry about "changing culture"?
All traditions change - and so they must, because some traditions are just fucking stupid. Any tradition that lifts one race above another, or kills based on unprovable belief - is fucking stupid. Yet, there are many examples of these traditions in play today, just as they were in play when the Roman empire fell.
I think what we are witnessing now is the ramping up to the end of this stage of humanity, but unlike when the old empires fell in the past, we are all going to both witness it globally, and be affected by it. And, I think that those in power know the end is nigh also, which is why they are so bold in trying to secure all they can while they can, in the hope that it will serve them in the next phase -
if there is a next phase that is.
The US is not too big to fail, and no other country on earth is secure enough to not be affected by the failure. When things collapse in this centralised world that we have built, it will collapse globally. And on the way down, there are going to be all kinds of bloody power struggles in a quest to get the upper hand when the dust settles.
Not good times. For anyone.
I sound alarmist perhaps, but I am okay with that. Because I have been called worse, and I have also been given the "what do you know" speech many times in my life on topics that were later proven true - like the harm of kids on screens and what kind of adults they turn into. If I am wrong on this, that is fine too - but it is impossible to be wrong when predicting the inevitable - isn't it?
The timeframe is the only question, and people will nearly always look too short on the future, good and bad. It is 2025 - when were those flying cars meant to be buzzing around the cities? When were communities meant to be flooded by rising sea levels? But, just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.
As I see it - we are all doomed.
And maybe that is for the best.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Past Episodes:
Episode 2: Show me the money
Episode 1: Strange bedfellows