We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
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We Talk Friday Ep. 3: Collapse is Inevitable
Tonight's WTF is a continuation of several conversations I have had this week, which are part of a much longer running narrative that I have held for a very long time - and is increasingly relevant today. It is one of the reasons I am on Hive, in crypto, and care about the distribution of global resources - because,
Collapse is inevitable.
They say that two things are certain, "death and taxes", but that is not actually the case - because only one of those is certain. Tax is not a natural law, it didn't exist for thousands of years - and then we created it as a concept, and then live it as if that is the only way we can live. However, while taxes aren't the topic of this article, they are definitely part of what creates the inevitable collapse.
When it comes to death, everything living must die, at least in the form in which it lived - because everything is constantly changing. However, we humans have learned not to like change and instead choose to hold onto what we have and know today, especially if we have power. And, we create systems and protections to hold onto our power - like taxes.
But, there will be an inevitable death to all things that attempt to remain the same, because everything else changes around them and will erode away its life into irrelevancy. But, quite often, pools of power will be corrupted and reach for more power to the point that it starts to undermine itself, and the wall of power collapses.
Sometimes literally.
And it can happen fast.
So, I like blockchain and distributed networks because of the security they bring, and the mitigation of risk by spreading out the risk across the network, so if one node fails, it doesn't bring down the entire web. Centralisation however is the way we are mostly operating the world today, because it is more effective and efficient at getting things done quickly. However, it is also far riskier, because if a mistake is made, that mistake impacts the entire network, affecting everything. A good example of this is the GFC in 2008, because the global financial system is pretty much centralised.
However, the collapse of centralised authority is inevitable, because power corrupts as it will keep looking to maximise itself, and grab more power. This has happened to every empire in history up until this point, and just because we are all connected now - it doesn't mean the empire can't fail. The cause of the failure is like always, overreach of the authority to the point that they are making bad decisions, many mistakes, and taking far too many resources from the people they tax to do it. Those few maximise themselves at the expense of the many - and eventually it leads to collapse, redistribution, and rebuilding.
The Roman Empire collapsed in a couple of decades, but Rome still stands.
This is because Rome is "leader agnostic" in the sense that it exists as a city, not caring about who occupies that city. It can be held by the Romans, the Nazis, or the Mafia and the culture can change in many ways, with many kinds of sub-cultures, and still it lives on.
Ever realised how silly it is to worry about "changing culture"?
All traditions change - and so they must, because some traditions are just fucking stupid. Any tradition that lifts one race above another, or kills based on unprovable belief - is fucking stupid. Yet, there are many examples of these traditions in play today, just as they were in play when the Roman empire fell.
I think what we are witnessing now is the ramping up to the end of this stage of humanity, but unlike when the old empires fell in the past, we are all going to both witness it globally, and be affected by it. And, I think that those in power know the end is nigh also, which is why they are so bold in trying to secure all they can while they can, in the hope that it will serve them in the next phase -
if there is a next phase that is.
The US is not too big to fail, and no other country on earth is secure enough to not be affected by the failure. When things collapse in this centralised world that we have built, it will collapse globally. And on the way down, there are going to be all kinds of bloody power struggles in a quest to get the upper hand when the dust settles.
Not good times. For anyone.
I sound alarmist perhaps, but I am okay with that. Because I have been called worse, and I have also been given the "what do you know" speech many times in my life on topics that were later proven true - like the harm of kids on screens and what kind of adults they turn into. If I am wrong on this, that is fine too - but it is impossible to be wrong when predicting the inevitable - isn't it?
The timeframe is the only question, and people will nearly always look too short on the future, good and bad. It is 2025 - when were those flying cars meant to be buzzing around the cities? When were communities meant to be flooded by rising sea levels? But, just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.
As I see it - we are all doomed.
And maybe that is for the best.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Past Episodes:
Episode 2: Show me the money
Episode 1: Strange bedfellows
People who don't believe the US can fall forget the UK (Great Britain) used to be the mistress of the World. There was even a time Spain was the most powerful country in Europe. History teaches us that any centralised authority can collapse. Society is gravitating towards decentralization which will inevitably hasten the said collapse.
UK, Spain, Netherlands, Mongolia, Greece... the list goes on and on. All of them collapse - we might live on.
I've been feeling for a while now that we need to switch to a flat tax system. It just makes more sense to me. I may never see significant change in my time on this planet though.
My suspicion of flat tax proposals is that, more often than not, they've tended to be championed by the likes of Steve Forbes. People for whom income is all but irrelevant compared to asset appreciation. I'm not at all sure that such people really have the best interests of the 99% very high up on their list of priorities.
Fair
It has to be applied to companies and they have to pay the flat tax too, in the country they earned it.
Flat tax would help - if companies are held to that also - and pay on what they earn, in the country in which they earn it.
Such reflections on the collapse of centralised systems and the inevitability of change invite us to question how we build our societies. While the approach may seem critical, it highlights the importance of exploring more resilient and distributed alternatives, such as decentralised networks. At the same time, it raises a global perspective on how traditions and power structures evolve or crumble over time. Certainly a provocative topic that generates constructive debate and opens up space for imagining different futures.
An excellent starting point for deep conversations, with good friends, perhaps a drink and possibly a good fan…
Not drinking American Bourbon? ;D
I have never been so into traditions in my life, but I know many who are and who fight for their culture not to change - without realising it is always in flux.
Brother, I don't drink alcoholic beverages and I don't smoke either... The image is of a friend who does, I just wanted to add some socialisation to the commentary, hehehehe.
I read your post. There are several interesting reflections. I live in Italy and taxes are very high for both people and businesses. In fact, in Italy you see very few new businesses. As for the end of the centralized system, I don't think it will happen. It seems to me that the centralized system always manages to renew and regenerate itself. In the country where I live, they say that "bad grass never dies"
And most of the largest companies aren't actually owned locally, and those that are, also pay their taxes outside of the country. A flat tax system, where everyone pays their tax in the place they earned it would help a lot. Well, not the very large US companies! :D
Laser eyes standing in the window, while everything else gets crushed.
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Very much so. I don't have enough of anything to guarantee my future. Though, how much is enough?
Do you think America will collapse? I think it is possible, but I think Europe will collapse before America!
Watching the war in Ukraine, I thought that Europe was powerless to stop Russia!Dear @tarazkp !
Europe isn't powerless to stop Russia, they just haven't. An open war with Russia risks nuclear escalation.
They said tax was vital for a strong state. We accepted it, but then it has been a burden on regular citizens shoulder like us.
Maybe it is vital in some respects - but in most it isn't. The problem is, that once they convinced people it was, they could keep upping it for their own gain.
Here we also pay derivatives of tax.
History keeps proving that power eats itself, yet we keep playing the same game. Maybe blockchain is the cheat code this time, decentralization or bust, out two options
It only works if the majority support it.
hundred percent agree