I love this. It explains, step by step, what I always say about how, if you look at he great civilizations in history and their rise and downfall, we are following the same paths, and we are on the way to the downfall of our great civilization.shafnutz05 wrote:I have always loved this passage, although I admittedly don't know who initially penned it (or how long it has even been around). I know it shows up on a lot of religious websites, but I find it very applicable in a strictly secular context. It reflects a lot of what Malcolm Muggeridge used to write about back in his heyday. I believe we are somewhere in the ninth stage right now.Each of the great civilizations in the world passed through a series of stages from their birth to their decline to their death. Historians have listed these in ten stages.
The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. The second from spiritual faith to great courage. The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence. And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.
These are the ten stages through which the great civilizations have gone. Notice the progression from bondage to liberty back to bondage. The first generation throws off the shackles of bondage only to have a later generation through apathy and indifference allow itself to once again be enslaved.
I'd say we're at stage 9 in this list.
TIME FOR REVOLUTION!
![Twisted Evil :twisted:](./images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif)