08-08-2020, 10:50 AM
(08-07-2020, 03:51 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: History has operated by slightly-different rules in the Industrial Age than in the Agrarian Age, and may operate differently in the post-Industrial age.True
Quote:Generations define themselves earlier in life, at least in cultural values, in their teens instead of their thirties.Do you mean current generations defined themselves earlier? That seems backwards. Younger teenagers in the agrarian age lived adult lives. They worked in adult occupations and were punished as adults for transgressions. The medieval world was young. The leading figures were older, but the bulk of the population were children and teens. And since labor productivity was low, most people were working like from age 7 on. The modern world is old, with an extended childhood, and an intermediary adolescent stage that extends beyond agrarian age life expectancy.
Quote:It is in modern times that teenagers such as Juan Crisostomo Arriaga and Anne Frank could develop middle-aged competence so early due to formal education and excellent training.These are exceptional people. There have been well-educated people throughout history. And history had many examples of young people making competent decisions and older people failing to. Edward II was 24 when he became king and made a real has of it. His son became king at 14. His stepfather served as regent, and was trying to squeeze Ed out of power. When was still 17 Edward seized power by assassinating his stepfather and proceeded to govern the country quite competently. He had four sons, none of whom ever rebelled against his, by all accounts we loved his wife and they had a good marriage.
Quote:It's when kids started having some disposable income that they could influence the culture of their time through their purchases. Adults had to accommodate, and they often did by letting kids read books with adult concepts accessible to smart kids.Smart kids in the past were often inducted into church service and sent to the universities created to train such people. Some of the great theologians came from modest backgrounds.
Quote:If anyone thinks that this Crisis Era is nasty, then it is a paper tiger in contrast to the Crisis of 1940 and the Crisis of 2100 stands to have global warming as its focus with the cataclysm of inundation of huge swaths of prime farmlandI don't think anyone thinks this era is nasty. If the last two decades had played out like the nasty times that past 4Ts were, then this thread would not exist. Also, if you think global warming is going to be the focus in 2100, have I a bridge to sell you. GW is a focus of THIS crisis era. Just because we are choosing not to focus on that (or anything else) doesn't mean GW's time is in the future. It just means today is not a time of focus on problems (i.e. its still a 3T in mood). It's just as nastier Russian-style 3T, but not yet a 4T.
The issue today is paralysis. No action can be taken on anything because there is no consensus on what sort of action is desirable. Paralysis contain continue as long as their are options, choices of which road we want to go down (which includes not choosing). At some point, freedom to not choose is withdrawn and we are forced to go down a certain road by an external force. For example, simple geography meant Belgium ceased to have a choice on its foreign policy in 1940. The hegemonic US maintained independence of action throughout the last 4T. Even Germany, the second strongest power, came to a point where Hitler had no better option than to eat a bullet.
Today the role of Germany is occupied by the US, and so it can come to pass when our options become constricted to one. Germany did not have to take the path that led to that May 1945 decision in the bunker. Neither do we. But if just continue to drift, maybe that's where we end up, 10, 20, 30 years from now. I doubt it will take all the way to 2100 for the issues we face to finally be resolved for us in a way we aren't going to like.