This is an Opinion Piece
Civilizations have come and gone throughout history. Some last for long periods of time such as the Egyptians and the Romans. Some don't last long at all.
Most civilizations last, on average, only about 250 years. Whatever their lifespans, they all share the same process of a beginning and an end.
There are basically six stages of an empire.
The Age of the Pioneers
In the first stage to creating an empire we have the pioneers. These are the people that, for whatever reasons, moved to a new area of the world and "set up shop." When the population grew there was some need of a government. This early government was more of an administration center to look after trade, economics, infrastructure and many of the things necessary for the growth of the empire and/or country.
Not all of these governments were democracies. Some where ruled by kings, some were ruled by dictatorships.
The Age of Conquest
As an empire begins to grow and land is acquired, either by more pioneering or by conquest, there comes a need for a way to police this growth. To protect the fledgling empire from outside forces also requires an army.
The more the population grows so does the need to expand the amount of land. Throughout history this has, in almost every instance, been done by conquest. The fledgling empire takes more land by way of war, thus expanding the size of this new empire. As the size increases there is a need for more government, bigger armies and police forces. This cycle may repeat many times and each time it happens it creates more need for administration, armies and police forces.
The Age of Commerce
In the third stage of an empire there is a growth of commerce between different parts of the empire and trade within the empire and with other empires. A system of money and wealth generation is needed to control this growth.
Do you trade with an empire that is smaller than yours with a weaker army or do you just take over their empire for reasons of expediency? In many cases a lot of these empires just take over other smaller empires by conquest. Whichever the case, the empire expands, thus creating more need for larger administration, armies and police.
Note: These early stages of empire building do not always happen in a set sequence but rather in cycles.
More conquest = more trade and commerce = more administration, more armies and police.
The Age of the Affluence
As an empire becomes larger and more stable more wealth begins to accumulate. More people in this new empire become wealthy and, in most cases, wealth equals power. Wealth also brings more leisure and more education and intellect. Great things can be built and created. Monuments, churches, infrastructure like ships and harbors and roads, hospitals and medicines, libraries and scholars and, of course, more administration and larger armies.
The Age of the Intellect
With all this new found affluence, empires have the time to increase its intellectual output. Knowledge can now, not only be dispersed more easily, but new inventions, processes, philosophies, moralities, machines and weapons can be designed and built. This is the golden age of the empire and may continue for many generations. How long this period lasts depends on many factors. An empires morality and ethics play a big part on the life of the empire. Of course, we cannot take into account cataclysmic events and empires have been wiped out in the past by such events through no fault of their own.
The Age of the Decadence
At the beginning of this stage we have a stable, affluent, and innovative empire and all is going well and everyone is happy. However, this stage is usually the turning point and something to watch out for. The people in this empire want more and more of the things they don't really need. The leaders, politicians and even the common people want more and more of the pie. Leaders and citizens become more and more obsessed with wealth and power. The more they have, the more they want and you can see this happening all around the world now. Dictatorships and even democracies care less and less about the citizens of the empire and more and more about this wealth and power.
In Conclusion
If we look at this final stage there are a few things that stand out. In our modern empires we become consumed with entertainment. In the Roman empire it was the gladiatorial games. This distracted the citizens from what was really happening in government and led to lethargy and apathy. Why isn't everyone out voting at every election if they have that right?
Apathy and lethargy.
Financial and economic crisis, sports, television, movies, reality shows, and, strangely enough, celebrity chefs all contribute and are signs of the decline of empire. The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish Empire all made celebrities of their chefs. This is the time when we have this final dying struggle when empires used to be great and we have this one last push to be great and feel great again. We are all out searching for the best food, the best homes, the best cars and of course, the best sex. All things that we don't really need to feel this greatness.
What is needed most at this stage is not more stuff. Stuff does not build good character. What we need most is strong moral conviction where integrity reigns. Those born in the baby boom where born into this age of decadence and have contributed to it. The desire for unlimited sexual partners, unfettered consumerism, and the desire for eternal youth are signs we should not ignore. The baby boomers and following generations have been the cause of the greatest misallocation of capital in the history of human kind. We live within a system we have chosen, whether consciously choosing or unconsciously slipping into and we have perpetuated it.
We have wasted so much, including our morality and integrity, and for that, we will pay a huge price as our own empire is now on this decline.
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