The State of our Civilization

By Steuart Pennington

I listened with interest to a podcast between Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen on the role of sport in nation-building during which I was reminded of the book by Sir John Glubb “The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival”. Glubb researched the rise and fall of 13th civilisations going all the way back to the Assyrian Empire 859 BC. His research suggests a common pattern: each empire or civilisation lasts about 10 generations (200 to 300 years), and each can be divided into six precise ages.

In chronological order:

  • age of pioneers,
  • age of conquest,
  • age of commerce,
  • age of affluence,
  • age of intellect,
  • age of decadence.

Assuming that the Western World has been the dominant global “Empire” for the past 250 to 300 years, we can deduce that we are very likely in the last age of that empire – the age of decadence?

Here is how Glubb describes the age of decadence:-

“Wealth and power have led to petty and negative behaviours including narcissism, consumerism, materialism, nihilism, fanaticism, and high levels of frivolity. A celebrity culture worships athletes, actors and singers. The masses are distracted by entertainment and sporting events, abandon moral restraint, shirk duties, and insist on entitlements. The leaders believe they are impervious and will govern forever. This age also develops the welfare estate as imperial leaders generously build universities and hospitals, give grants to university students, support the young and poor, and extend citizenship to everyone.

When they run out of money, all the benevolence disappears, and these institutions shut their doors”

William Ophuls backs this up in ‘Immoderate Greatness: Why Civilizations Fail’

Politics is increasingly corrupt; life increasingly unjust. A cabal of insiders accrues wealth and power at the expense of the citizenry, fostering a fatal opposition of interest between haves and have-nots. Mental and physical illness proliferates. The majority lives for bread and circuses; worship celebrities instead of divinities; takes its bearings from below rather than above; throws off social and moral restraints, especially on sexuality; shirks duties but insists on entitlements; and so forth. Societies original vigour, virtue and morale all have been entirely effaced. Rotten to the core, the society awaits collapse, with only the date remaining to be determined.”

Quite interesting don’t you think?

The winner, a week ago, of the British Open earned $3.1 million, he who came last (70th) earned $38,900 for four days work (and lots of practice!) compared to the winner of a Nobel prize for Chemistry at $1 million for a lifetime of work, global recognition, and societal benefit.

Where then, are we headed with our ‘Western Civilization’?

We all know of examples of:

  • entitlement;
  • power mad politicians;
  • prideless civil servants;
  • conflicts that have to do with greed and avarice only;
  • the madness of growing unaffordable welfare;
  • extending citizenship to those who don’t belong;
  • deteriorating education systems;
  • the ridiculous wealth of celebrities;
  • ‘tolerating everything and standing for nothing’.

Do we sense a changing of the Western Civilization guard?

……………….coming from the East?

Reading: Leading with Humanity-Peter Laburn