Ray Dalio on money, history, civilization, greed ... all that good shit
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/archetypical-cycle-internal-order-disorder-ray-dalio/
actual article is pretty insanely long, here is a snipet:
The Timeless and Universal Forces That Produce Changes to the Internal Order
The following four timeless and universal dynamic forces are those that I believe are the most important in driving changes.
a - The Wealth and Power Class Struggle Dynamic
For as long as there has been recorded history, in almost all societies a very small percentage of the population (the “ruling classes” or “the elites”) controlled most of the wealth and the power (though those percentages have varied).
b - Balance of Power Scenarios
c - The Dynamic of Favoring Short-Term Enjoyment over Long-Term Health
d - The Failure to Learn from History
and wow ... check out this graph !