abandoned civilizations

This is an image of a Mayan temple in Palenque, Mexico. The surrounding human settlement and the social organization that made this monument possible were impressive and lasted for centuries. Presumably, some bad decisions about resource management, both environmental and cultural, precipitated the downfall of the city and a population collapse. There were definitely other factors that resulted in its downfall, and I doubt that we'll ever know what really happened.

Complete social collapse has been the subject of many good books, ranging from Gibbon's treatise on the Roman Empire to Jared Diamond's aptly titled Collapse. While both are subject to endless criticism, they force us to confront the issue of social and institutional mortality. Absent a rare event like an asteroid strike, most geological changes move at a far slower pace than human decision making. Even earthquakes and volcanoes, which have a devastating effect on architecture, have a limited scope, both in area and time. I believe that a strong culture can persist and prosper in a changing environment if they have a strong rule set. So, in effect, I'm blaming the Mayans for not doing more to preserve themselves when they had a long run of bad luck.

Now, since I live in a house that sits about twelve feet above sea level, I'm wondering what set of bad decisions I'm contributing to that could result in my turning into a penniless and starving refugee, struggling to survive while everything falls apart around me.

The next post will be more slightly more cheerful.