Recently, I was having lunch with my mom and nephew and we were discussing the route for a road trip we were planning. When it was mentioned that we would likely be traveling through Chicago, a conversation started about being mugged, robbed, shot, etc. My nephew then asked why Chicago has the crime problem that it is so well known for.
I remembered reading about this particular issue in the Urban Studies course I took for my master’s degree and proceeded to share what I knew with them.
Firstly, I want to acknowledge that crime and urban decay are distinguishable but often coincide. Both have common influences such as gentrification, poverty, fragmented families, and a lack of educational and employment opportunities. That said, many cities with a prosperous past, have become some of the most dangerous places in the United States, and throughout the world for that matter. These previously thriving centers of prosperity have either become impoverished, or the divide between poverty and wealth has become more demarcated.
Nevertheless, this conversation got me thinking about the continuous pattern of rise and fall that seems to affect civilizations. One prime example is the Roman Empire. The Romans are famous for the vast influence they wielded during their time which shaped so much of the world. I often wonder how the major powers of the 21st-century will be viewed in the future. The long uptick in civilizational and technological progress since the Industrial Revolution may eventually be followed by a devastating crash.
Just as the dark ages followed the advancements and triumphs of the Romans, I believe that the technological advancements of the 20th and 21st centuries will be followed by a low period. The rapid pace of technology combined with the increasing generational gaps in beliefs, mores and values could potentially create devastating human conflicts and/or failures in our technologies. Just as the Romans had a very advanced republic before their decline and subsequent collapse, I believe the major powers of the 21st-century will create new and innovative systems before falling.
Much like the republics of the recent past who have borrowed ideas from the Romans, future civilizations may turn to whatever systems countries are using in the 21st-century to lay a foundation for their societies. However, this cycle is not exclusive to governments or institutions, it can be true of consumer goods and technologies. For example, shopping malls were once a major part of the consumer experience. But with online shopping there is no longer a need to leave home or deal with crowds. Thus, the role of these centers in creating a communal shopping experience has drastically declined.
On the other hand, certain technologies have made a comeback after an almost certain decline. Some people are now getting rid of their smart phones in exchange for basic flip phones. The reasons for this range from wanting more simplicity to security concerns. But much like the gradual return to republican forms of government following the Renaissance, there may be an embrace of older simpler forms of technology as well.
Hence, many people including myself would have thought that the days of flip phones were over roughly a decade ago. I personally would have never expected a resurgence of this technology no matter how minuscule. In my opinion, there will be some form of major regression in the institutions, societies, systems, and technologies that we have today. From the remnants of ancient civilizations, to the empty buildings of once-giant retail stores. This pattern of rise and fall is part of the recurring cycle that is human history.
What are your thoughts on some of the parallels between the position of our modern world and civilizations of the past?