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It all comes down eventually, but Rome didn’t really “fall.” It slowly succumbed to its own weight and rot, like an old drunk with a three-pack habit and a crappy diet.
Rome was not built in a day, nor did it fall suddenly to a horde of screaming, blue-painted savages. Some scholars argue that Rome never really “fell” at all, at least as we imagine the “Fall of Rome.” Instead, the Empire slowly succumbed to its own weight and rot, like an old drunk with a three-pack habit and a crappy diet. What killed the Empire? Everything and nothing. There were spasms of violence and disruption, but Rome just stumbled, tipped over and died with a whimper, not a scream.
Maybe that’s us in the 21st Century.
We seem to have lost our mojo when it comes to doing big things and doing them well. A nation that built the interstate highway system in the 1950s can’t fix the potholes in the streets or keep bridges from falling into rivers. Our health care system is complex, expensive, and increasingly falling behind. It’s true, as has been famously noted, that health care is “complicated,” but Americans used to be known for figuring out how to do complicated, difficult and challenging things. Now there are many nations in the world — democratic nations with market economies — who have health care systems that are much less expensive than ours, that are easier to navigate and that deliver better outcomes.
The economy is perking along right well, isn’t it? But as Rullman notes in The Abundance Bomb, there’s much that is suspect in an economic model where…
…This abundance, this giant ticking bomb, is the result of steadfast belief in the growth economy, hyper-efficient economies of scale, and the seduction of nearly every one of us into the role of dedicated — one might say blindly addicted — consumer.
Robert Bunker, a 4th-generation-warfare scholar and analyst asserts that there is a “Plutocratic Insurgency” underway, where the realization that the 1% have won the “class war” resonates like…
…“a ‘double-tap’ to the skull of the American middle class after the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has now passed in the U.S. Senate… The social contract between the governed and the government, which is derived from the consent of the people and conveys legitimacy to our political system, is becoming increasingly imperiled. Not only in this Bill have the taxes of the rich once again been reduced but to offset this plutocratic economic boon the taxes of the middle class have been brazenly raised to subsidize it.”
That’s not coming from some Marxist malcontent snarling in his garret — Bunker is an Adjunct Research Professor, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.
Strategic thinkers understand that a society where a large proportion of the population has little or no stake or faith in its own institutions is going to become increasingly unstable. The speed wobbles can only grow with the advent of Artificial Intelligence and robotics in the workplace. Automation is already displacing workers, and the trend toward job insecurity and a gig economy with few employment-related benefits will grow. Education is, of course, key to adapting to such structural changes, but — take it from the father of a college freshman — college education is EXPENSIVE.
It scarcely requires mentioning that our political culture has slid from dysfunctional to farcical. We elected a celebrity reality TV star and real estate developer to the highest office in the land with ZERO qualifications for the job, yet the new hope of the #Resistance is to … elect another celebrity?
Apparently we don’t elect leaders in the Republic anymore; we just recast the lead.
*
Dooming you out yet? Sorry. That’s not my intent. Quite the opposite, in fact. For, as Dougald Hine, co-founder of The Dark Mountain Project so eloquently puts it:
It’s not the apocalypse, of course, it’s just history, but if you thought the shape of history was meant to be an upward curve of progress, then this feels like the apocalypse.
Maybe we’re going through something we’ve already gone through a couple of times. The United States has crashed and reset before. In the middle of the 19th Century, the country literally split apart in Civil War and was put back together by force. The reset changed the country, setting us on the irrevocably on the course of free-labor industrial capitalism.
And we crashed hard in 1929, when the Great Depression swept across the land, threatening the very underpinnings of the American economy and society. World War II provided the reset — and we emerged from that great conflict a different country than we were before. More united than perhaps ever before, but also confronted with a massively empowered federal government and a national security state that took a much more active role in the day-to-day life of Americans.
We’re crashing again, tumbling down a long slope starting when we stumbled over the rock of the Vietnam War. That conflict divided America deeply — divisions that are far from healed — and called into question every institution of our society.
The fire next time could be apocalyptic — we certainly have the capacity to destroy our own civilization in the virtual blink of an eye. Dealing with a truly catastrophic end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it collapse is pretty straightforward: Most of us die and the rest of us are completely absorbed in the effort to survive another day. The more likely scenario is that things keep lurching along, increasingly wobbly, but never really falling down. There may be periods of significant disruption, sometimes severe, but life as we know it carries on.
So the key is to live well, every day. Live with honor in a dishonorable time. Be strong and self-reliant in a culture that valorizes weakness and victimhood. Live free in an era of constraint. Live with verve and joy in the face of decline.
*
So… how ?
This requires a shift in thinking and outlook. Insisting that “it’s not supposed to be this way” doesn’t help. In fact, it can be fatal. Lawrence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival, identifies a key trait of those who survive perilous situations:
“They immediately begin to recognize, acknowledge, and even accept the reality of their situation.”
We were all raised to believe that “the shape of history was meant to be an upward curve of progress” — that things would always get better, always “advance.” We equate ever-increasing technological sophistication and dominance of the natural environment with “improvement” — and find ourselves dismayed when it looks like, in some ways, things aren’t just failing to improve but are getting worse. Time to recognize, acknowledge and accept.
And then do something.
Your editors here at Running Iron Report aren’t setting ourselves up as oracles or gurus. It’s always a work in progress, for us as much as anybody. Here are some small things that I try to practice day-to-day:
• Shut off the noise. I’m a newsman and I can’t just completely tune out; I have to inform myself. But instead of shooting up the Daily Dose of Outrage, I try to dig a little deeper and hit sources that are doing serious reporting and analysis instead of indulging in yet another round of gasbaggery. I find that shutting off the stuff that provides more noise and heat than light leaves me less agitated and pissed off, and delving into stuff that has real meat on the bones makes me feel better, stronger and maybe bit wiser.
You’ll find some links below.
• Avoid “entertainment.” I try to spend my relaxation time with meaningful Story — whether it’s fiction or non-fiction; book or movie or music. Story that feeds the soul and doesn’t leave me with a sugar high and syrup-stomach like I just gobbled down an entire bag of peanut butter cups.
• Focus on the generative. This is related to the entertainment thing: I’ve been striving to devote my time to work that feeds into the kind of life I’m striving to build. For example, I’ve hardly watched a football game this season. It’s astounding how much writing can get done, or wood split and stacked, or music played in the 3.5 hours it would take to watch other men do something.
There’s probably more, and I reckon we’ll touch on all of it at some point here at RIR. You get the idea: Incremental adjustments of outlook and action that address the world as it is, not as we might wish for it to be, that align with values and virtues that we cleave to whether or not they’re in fashion.
Turns out, it’s a pretty satisfying path to walk.
*
Resources.
Axios.com — A good quick hit framed in context. Now breaking stories
The Atlantic — One of the last bastions of long-form journalism.
The National Review — A venerable compendium of authentic — and diverse — conservative opinion.
Small Wars Journal — Rigorous scholarly analysis of asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare.
Meduza — Independent reporting on Russia.
Borderland Beat — Narco news that gets almost no coverage in the U.S.
Foreign Affairs — As Establishment and Atlanticist as they come, but meaty.
Lane Batot says
Next to urban cretins that have lost all understanding of humans still being a part of the natural world, and subject to it’s inevitable laws–and thinking egotistical human politics are the only reality that matters, our GREATEST problem, from which the majority of the Planet’s problems have arisen, is just TOO MANY PEOPLE! Everyone who hasn’t already(you can get cheapo copies for ONE CENT plus shipping off’n Amazon!) NEEDS to read Daniel Quinn’s “Ishmael”, and the sequel, “My Ishmael”–and if you DON’T GET IT by the time you finished those simple-but-clever books, then you are indeed one of those urban cretins I just mentioned. But HOW to control our populations wisely, fairly, and humanely without creating another Nazi Regime? So much of the decay of modern society–physical, mental, and environmental–resembles those experiments where rats were allowed to overpopulate a limited, controlled environment, and eventually the society totally collapses–it is not just a human, but a very natural occurence that all species with no population controls must eventually face.….
I’d forgotten about Ishmael, but you’re right — that’s right on point. I sold dozens of copies of that book back in my bookselling days.
Lane Batot says
.…..and to link this up with all the other entries of the RIR so far, what rats survived that famous rat experiment? Why, the WILD rats that were NOT A PART of that experiment! The ones that live outside of officialdom, in the ways that their rat ancestors were designed by Nature to live. If/When modern society collapses, it will be those “wild”, peripheral peoples living traditionally that are most likely to survive–the last remnants of hunter-gatherers, or perhaps nomadic pastoralists. These, I believe, are “the meek that will inherit the earth”.…..
Breaker Morant says
Not speaking for you guys, but personally, I would add the writings of Victor Davis Hanson to the recommended resources list. I know you have mentioned him on FP and Craig mentioned him in his first post here.
Again, personally, I think of his body of work, especially on California and the rural/urban interface type stuff, as an Ur-text,if you will, for what you guys are doing here.
You are right. Craig is particularly enamored of VDH.
“Ur-text”–love that. It has been fascinating and tragic to follow him as the family farm in Selma is repeatedly burgled and the trash piled up all around him. In those “rural/urban interface” questions of today there may be none finer tackling the topic. He’s honest, which instantly promotes him in any discussion of California’s myriad horrors, and his expertise in antiquity informs his opinions well. His newest, “The Second World Wars” is also a tremendous read, btw.
Breaker Morant says
Recently finished “The Second World Wars.” The over-riding theme that I took away was that the Axis never really had a chance once Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor happened. Especially given their poor leadership and misallocation of resources (a major theme of the book). In a way, it almost ruined WW2 for me (LOL).
I am currently reading “War at the End of the World” about WW2 in New Guinea and, with The Second World Wars fresh in my head. it is almost hard to take it seriously. When the Japanese made their push for Port Moresby over the Kokoda Trail-they only had a few thousand (if that) starving and diseased troops at the tip of the spear. So what if they had taken Moresby? They really could not have done anything with it. It would have been a strategic dead end.
Speaking of the classics, I am fascinated by the story of Robert Strassler. If you are unfamiliar with it, he might tickle some fancies here. He reminds me of you guys.
Homemade Herodotus
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0129/111.html#482086d57a57
Pull Quote»>“It took a feisty amateur to wrest the classics from the grip of professional historians.”«<
VDH wrote an introduction to Strassler’s Thucydides. I am very slowly working my way through that book (only 2 to 4 pages a day).
In addition to VDH, I am a Mark Steyn guy. One of his themes, possibly applicable here, is that large numbers of us in the west are turning into Eloi (Pajama Boy, College Snowflakes etc) and at some point the Moorlocks will appear on the scene (if they haven’t already).
Well played Breaker of Book Budgets. I’ll have to check out Steyn.
Something I’ve been obsessed with lately that might interest you in re WW2: the WW2 Correspondents. Alan Moorehead, Erik Severeid, George Millar, George Weller…fascinating first hand accounts and in the case of Millar–an unbelievable tale of bravery and resilience. Millar was in Paris as a correspondent when the Nazi’s marched in, escaped to England, joined the Army, captured in North Africa, sent to prison in Italy, escaped on a transfer train in Germany, went underground, walked over the Pyrenees in mid-winter, made it home to England where he joined the OES and parachuted back into France as a leader of The Maquis. I will be writing about him in these pages soon…but in the meantime you might really enjoy any and all of those pieces. Weller was the 1st American into Nagasaki after the bomb drop…after extended tours in Africa and the Pacific. The writing is incredible and lends an interesting perspective on everything. Check it out.
Breaker Morant says
Re-Alan Moorehead
I think he wrote “The March to Tunis” which was a collection of 3 of his works. That is my favorite reading of the war in North Africa and one of my favorite books. IIRC, in “Tunis” he covered the war in Syria (Vichy French against Free French) and Greece also.
I have a couple other correspondent books in my pile somewhere.
If your taste runs to dry British Humour you can’t beat George MacDonald Fraser’s collection of short stories “Private Macauslin” ‑three short volumes. GMF who is my favorite author made his chops with Flashman, but I much prefer McAuslin which is largely based on his experience leading a platoon after the war in North Africa.
I seldom reread “Flashman” but I often open McAuslin for a short cheer-up. His “Quartered Safe Out Here”-His memoir of the war in Burma also repays frequent rereading.
Excellent…love the Flashman series so I’ll check out McAuslin. The collection I have of Moorhead’s north Africa writings is The Desert War, and I suspect it is probably a repackaging because it includes all of his Greek and Syrian adventures as well. I first got into him after reading Eclipse, and then just couldn’t stop so I had to read his Blue and White Niles, and his excellent book on Gallipoli. Tremendous chops and a brave man on top of it.
Saddle Tramp says
An effort at a summation. Not easy. The question always remains as who you say no to. Whose ox gets gored. Who makes the final judgement? Force at gunpoint? Force of reason? Both. Do you only get your 2.5 children or less. Therein lies the rub as always. Brought to it’s most reducible conclusion it could easily smell of a super race misadventure. You are overweight. Throw ‘em in the discard pile. You can’t keep up. Shoot ‘em. Don’t need ‘em. You are weighing down the planet. Nothing new here. Of course today we are experiencing the extremes of ridiculousness. I travel through it daily. It bothers the hell out of me too. If the strong are only here to destroy the weak though (at any cost) you can count me out. I trust I am in the audience of good men and women and not reactionaries. Solutions? Circumstance and attitudinal adjustments will prevail as always no doubt.
As far as me, I am stopping for a Fossellman’s (since 1919) hand made ice cream In Alhambra as I watch it all go down…
Great stuff (all comments) and a great piece which resonates with me a lot…
“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
— Yogi Berra
Getting ready to saddle up for Boise next and primed the pump listening to Gun Outfit and their album Out Of Range and the song:
THE 101
[…] I was raised on the salt wind…
California’s a legend.
Forget it’s fate.
On the brink of destruction on each given day.
From the vistas of chaos it’s perspectives unique.
At the edge of the world you look down what you meet…
Note: That [is] if I heard it right.
A very haunting song…
Saddle Tramp says
After some thought maybe it is prudent to offer my disorganized religious beliefs as to what informs my perspective on things. It is my conclusion thus far in my travels and life, that the Great Spirit,The Good Lord and Lady, The Four Winds Of The Holy Ghost that blows all directions. I personally cannot subscribe to nothing being there. It is after all indefineable and ineffable. The Apocalypse comes soon enough for [everyone]. I do not hasten it. Now, for my philosophy. The weak, the meek, the sick, the poor, the disenfranchised (and on and on) must be here as a reminder that this ain’t all there is. So, by the luck of the draw some succeed and some don’t (deserving or not)? This is not to say that those that can do so should do so and take advantage of the [resources] as is fitting to do. You will never reach the ultimate satisfaction however you survive. Those innocent ones are here to remind us. As the father of a child born with a life threatening illness and another with a disability I know all too well about this. It just reminds me that this world as much of a mess as it is, must be so for a greater purpose in the end and if we exclude ourselves from it, the universe is out of balance and we remain guilty participants. Did I say it would be easy? Hell no!! I just get nervous when we dance on the edge of exclusivity of any stripe. If I thought otherwise I would go hide up in the mountains. The resources and thoughts of this site can be for the betterment and gain of everyone. I take it where I find it. No judgement on my part, only my angle on the Universe.
I would never think otherwise.
As I said, I take it where I find it. If something rings true, I listen…
“A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world.”
— Aleister Crowley
Yep.