Why?

Cole Thomas The Course of Empire Destruction 1836

Why does civilisation seem to be falling apart? Wherever you look, there is death, destruction, starvation and discontent with EVERYTHING. Not so long ago, life seemed very straight forward, you woke up in the morning, went to work, earned your pennies, came home, had your evening meal (forever your tea (NOT dinner)!), and then, depending on your lifestyle, went to the pub\ cinema\theatre\kids school night etc. and repeat until the weekend when football came in to it. A comfortable, predictable life that, although boring apart from the occasional sojourn abroad, did not have a major headache that could not quickly be overcome with the help of friends and family.

These days a combination of real structural challenges, amplified media narratives, and a feeling that institutions are no longer functioning as they once did contribute to a feeling of despair. Some may argue we’re going through a painful but necessary transition — a collapse of outdated systems that can’t handle the pressures of a globalised, interconnected world. Others see this as a repeat of historical cycles: civilizations rise and fall, and this may be a period of correction or even renewal.

History shows that civilisations have endured tremendous upheaval and emerged transformed. That said, without action — collective, coordinated, and adaptive — things could deteriorate even further, and quickly.

. Here’s a breakdown of the high-level key drivers:

1. Global Crises and Systemic Stress

• Climate change: Extreme weather, water scarcity, food insecurity, and climate-driven migration are increasingly destabilising societies.
• Pandemics: COVID-19 exposed weaknesses in global cooperation, healthcare systems, and supply chains.
• Economic inequality: Wealth gaps have widened drastically, leading to widespread frustration and distrust.
• Debt and inflation: Many countries are struggling with unsustainable debt, rising costs of living, and fears of recession.

2. Political Instability and Polarisation

• Loss of trust in institutions: From governments to media to education, trust is eroding globally.
• Authoritarianism vs. democracy: There’s a global rise in authoritarian tendencies, while democracies seem gridlocked or weakened.
• Culture wars: Deep divisions over identity, values, and truth itself are tearing at the fabric of many societies.

3. Technological Disruption

• Social media and information overload: Algorithms often amplify outrage and misinformation, creating echo chambers and undermining shared reality.
• AI and automation: Displacement of jobs and uncertainty about the future are causing fear and social disruption.
• Surveillance and privacy erosion: People feel increasingly monitored and manipulated.

4. Media and Narrative Perception

• 24/7 crisis reporting: Media tends to emphasize the negative; “if it bleeds, it leads” still holds.
• Global awareness: We now hear about every conflict, disaster, and scandal instantly, giving the impression of constant collapse.

5. Spiritual and Existential Uncertainty

• Loss of shared meaning: Traditional sources of identity — religion, community, national identity — have weakened for many.
• Mental health crisis: Anxiety, depression, and loneliness are reaching epidemic levels, particularly among the young.

At a more day to day level, we have constant reminders of the state of the world that are not even hid from the general populace anymore. At one time, corruption and criminality of public figures was hidden away until it reached the stage where public outrage just bubbled over, and law and order prevailed. Now we have the supposed Leader of the Free World, Donald Trump, riding roughshod over every concept of democratic government, treating the entire USA economy as a weapon to punish anyone who he perceives as a threat. And to make things even worse, he seems to be suffering from Dementia with his daily social media rantings reaching cataclysmic levels of disconnected random thoughts, recently exasperated with his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and suspected paedophilia tendencies over many years. It has now reached the stage where the USA is apparently a dictatorship with Trump at the helm of a country driven by the least intelligent in the thrall of a pathological liar. I thought the UK had cornered the market in lying to its electorate for personal gain, but watching Trump in action shows our lot are light years behind. In contemplation, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

And then we have the USA-supported Israeli genocide in Gaza, and the rest of the world unable to do a single thing about it, the mere mention of wrongdoing by the Israeli state land grabbers is hit with a tsunami of accusations of antisemitism. This seems to be yet again another smokescreen, confabulating being Jewish with being Israeli. The truth is being Jewish refers to religious, cultural, or ethnic affiliation with Judaism, an ancient ethnoreligious group, while being Israeli refers to citizenship of the modern State of Israel, regardless of religion or ethnicity. While the majority of Israelis are Jewish, and Israel is a Jewish-majority country, a significant portion of Israelis are not Jewish, and the majority of Jews worldwide do not live in Israel. It appears, with the full support of the Trump administration, that the moral laws of humanity are suspended when greed, be it for money or land, is involved. It is easy to assume strategy on the part of Hamas where there is really just fear and chaos with the continuing insanity and inhumanity that bombs continue to fall where children live. Nothing justifies that.

Above all, what really drags me down to the belief that the future is dark, and getting darker, is that NO ONE seems to be able to stop any of the drivers for our current situation. Money and greed rule the world and sit above everything. To add to that, governments are becoming increasingly embattled, at war with the very people they are supposed to be serving, and, instead of fixing issues that are in front of them with logical solutions. They are continually working towards ideal logical future aims, none of which ever seem to be achievable without global agreements, none of which ever seem to get any closer.

And what can we do about this global mess? First thing is, we need to take ownership, and to open our eyes. Don’t believe what you see on state-controlled media channels like the BBC. Balance the propaganda with watching news channels from other, more open, countries to get more data to base your own opinions on. Take back social media, use it to post what you see, not what you’re told. If you can, become active in local politics, read and understand what political parties REALLY stand for, don’t be fooled by manifesto promises that are broken within a week of taking power.

Don’t be a silent majority, and don’t believe the lies. Otherwise, YOU are complicit in the decent in to fascism and dictatorship. And never, ever think it’s impossible to happen, because people, look around, it’s already here.