Recommended Reading:
"The Story of Civilization" by Will Durant
Will Durant said: If the process of civilization's spread is interrupted for more than a century, civilization will die, and we will revert to barbarism. A thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant hole. History does not always progress; it often goes in reverse. The collapse of many civilizations in history was not completed overnight; there are always signs when a great structure is about to fall.
Sign One:
Collective arrogance and fanaticism will lead to its destruction; it must first drive them mad. Too many historical cases prove this. Whether it was Tsarist Russia before World War I, or the Qing Dynasty waging war against eleven nations, whether it was Hitler before World War II, or Tojo Hideki during the war, arrogance and fanaticism were their common traits, and collapse and destruction were their shared fate. This is also why pride is considered the most serious sin among the "Seven Deadly Sins." Because pride is the beginning of human downfall. Therefore, Durant believes that human history is just a moment in the universe, and the first thing we must learn is humility.
Sign Two:
The gradual disappearance of competition and choice. Durant said, "Life is competition, life is choice." We are governed by the process of evolution and tested by the biological law of survival of the fittest. Competition and choice, accompanying the entire process of human civilization development, are one of the major driving forces ensuring that civilization innovates. However, in some areas, people have replaced competition with institutional arrangements, stipulating that some people can go to school, while others cannot, that some can do business, while others are only fit to consume... This deprives people of the freedom to choose and makes the entire society lose vitality, causing civilization to stagnate or even regress.
Sign Three:
Replacing cooperation with struggle and closure. Durant said, "Civilization is the product of cooperation, and almost all nations contribute to it." The difference lies only in the extent of contribution. In some regions, society is always very open, and cooperation is always very common; their social progress will be relatively fast, and their contributions to civilization will naturally be greater. In contrast, some regions are very closed, lacking cooperation, replaced by ubiquitous struggle and infighting, refusing to learn from the outside world and resisting all foreign things. In such "closed-door" places, civilization is doomed to be "incompatible with local conditions." If the "soil" itself does not change, it is difficult to achieve any substantial development.
Sign Four:
Collective decline in spiritual and moral levels. One important reason why history can largely repeat itself is that human nature changes as slowly as geological changes; generation after generation passes, but the character of the nation does not change much. No matter how many dynasties change, the human factors that led to the last social collapse often lead to the next social collapse as well. Durant said, "The foundation of society lies not in human ideals, but in human nature. The composition of human nature can rewrite the composition of the nation." If the overall spiritual and moral level of a nation's citizens continues to decline, then the level of civilization in that country will inevitably regress.
Sign Five:
Radicalism runs rampant. Durant said, "Social evolution is the process of interaction between habit and innovation. Those conservatives who resist change and those radicals who propose change have equal value—perhaps even more value, because deep roots are more important than lush branches." Unfortunately, human history has repeatedly fallen into the frenzy of radicalism. The "French Revolution" is the most vivid example. In pursuit of so-called "liberty, equality, and fraternity," the French destroyed all traditions, only to end up with long-term turmoil and unrest. This ideology has spread worldwide, leaving a lasting poison to this day.
Sign Six:
Using violent means to equalize wealth. Durant said, "Wealth concentration is natural and inevitable, and can be periodically alleviated through violent or peaceful redistribution." However, we must realize that different methods of wealth redistribution can cause varying degrees of harm to civilization. Legal and peaceful methods of wealth redistribution have limited harm to civilization. However, violent actions to "kill the rich to help the poor" and "equalize wealth" are not uncommon in history and can be repeatedly staged in certain areas. When any pursuit of wealth becomes a crime, people will fall into the trap of collective poverty, achieving a slavery-like equality.
Sign Seven:
Forcibly promoting utopianism. Utopianism often promises people the most beautiful future: an omnipotent government, ample welfare, an equal society... People in later generations often believe that utopianism is a product of a specific era, a "necessary result of the flaws of capitalism." However, Durant eloquently proves with historical facts: the impulse for utopia has always been deeply buried in human nature throughout history, and thus it will always accompany human society. Those who forcibly promote "utopia" in pursuit of the ideal of a "heaven on earth" merely treat everyone as "guinea pigs" for social experiments, resulting only in scarcity, chaos, corruption, and massacres... If we lose civilization, we will inevitably return to barbarism.