Are you familiar with the Tytler Cycle? It’s about civilizational collapse and renewal. The thesis is attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler, an 18th century Scottish historian. It's also referred to as the "Fatal Sequence." It goes like this: Human beings might begin in bondage but as they gain spiritual strength they attain liberty.
With liberty we build prosperity. But prosperity brings materialism and materialism tends to cause spiritual decline. Then, as we live lives of safety and comfort, the society starts to decay. Eventually we become complacent and apathetic. Then, dependent on the government. Which leads us right back into bondage again.
Here’s a graphic that illustrates of the evolution attributed to Tytler (from the public domain -Wikipedia):
This cycle is worth studying. Some of the questions we ought to ponder are:
Do you think you can locate America’s current location in the cycle? How did we get there? What can people do to withstand the period of bondage that seems inevitable? And if we were to reach a age of true liberty, what might we do to preserve it and not fall back?
I believe it is imperative to form communities of trust on the most basic level dedicated to cultivating an enduring understanding of how civilizational decline happens. I also believe the weaponization of loneliness as described in my book is a common ingredient in civilizational decline.
But this process should not simply be a matter of academic discussion. People everywhere need to be able to understand it and build an awareness of it. In the end, true friendship and the spread of real conversation is the best means for securing freedom. By friendship I mean building trust and loyalty and virtue in human relationships. Resisting the weaponization of loneliness can make it happen. But it must happen everywhere. I believe it can because people are starving for it. That’s what the book club idea is all about!
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