All great empires eventually fall. We only hope it doesn’t happen in our lifetime. However, some signs portend an impending collapse of society, and it may fail sooner rather than later if we don’t make changes. These signs point to a society on the decline.
Shorter Attention Spans
People seek out short tidbits of information. Sound bites lack nuance, and the ever-decreasing attention spans mean people will lose the ability to think critically about the information they consume.
Attention Seeking
The rise in social media apps like TikToks highlighted an inherent problem in humanity: the never-ending desire for attention and validation. We learned that people would do almost anything for a brief few seconds of internet fame.
Accepting Lower Standards
Standards everywhere are lowering, and people just shrug and take it. Our leaders are atrocious, our jobs treat us poorly, and we receive subpar service when we try to enjoy ourselves. The bar has lowered nearly everywhere we look.
Dumbing Down the News
The 24-hour news cycle turned news into infotainment. It now caters to the lowest common denominator and twists the truth in the never-ending quest for views and profits.
Shopping Carts
The true test of compassion is whether someone will return their shopping cart. There are no stakes in it. No one gets in trouble for leaving it in the parking lot. But a good person will always return it because it’s the right thing to do, while a selfish person doesn’t care and leaves it be.
As more and more shopping carts litter parking lots across the US, we realize we’re suffering an endemic of selfishness.
Wealth Disparity
The gap between rich and poor grows ever wider while fewer and fewer people hoard all the wealth. Society will not survive if the trend continues.
Loneliness
Humanity thrives on connection, yet we all seal ourselves away into our homes. The internet made everyone lonely, and no one knows how to fix it.
AI
Artificial intelligence is still so new we don’t know how it will impact society. However, we’re already seeing the possibilities with the strikes in Hollywood. How will society adapt if AI replaces the creative geniuses responsible for advancement?
Making a Living
As the cost of living steadily increases, pay remains stagnant. Millions struggle to stay afloat, teetering on the brink of disaster. We can’t maintain this delicate balancing act forever. Something will eventually have to give.
No Empathy
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. People have absolutely no empathy for anyone else. They refuse to step into someone else’s shoes and consider their experiences. Instead, it’s I, Me, Me I. People only care about an issue when it directly affects them.
No Personal Responsibility
There was a time when people held themselves accountable for their own actions. Now, they point their fingers everywhere else, trying to blame anyone and anything they can.
Climate Change
As summer heat waves intensify, fires ravage forests, and hurricanes decimate entire cities, more and more people become displaced. Food supplies tighten, and power grids push to their limits.
The looming climate disaster and our refusal to do anything in preparation highlight our position as a society on the decline.
America’s Very Real Poverty Trap
We often think of third world countries when we talk about poverty, but it’s thriving right here in the US.
Here’s the truth about America’s Poverty Trap.
America’s Toxic Work Culture Must Change
Our work culture prevents us from leading happy lives. Here’s the problems with American work culture and ways to address them.
Generational Poverty
Poverty is a generational problem. Here’s how folks get trapped in cycles of generational poverty.
Things America Could Learn from Western Neighbors
Is America the greatest country in the world? If it is, why don’t we enjoy the same perks other Western nations do?
Here are great examples of beneficial programs other countries have we wish America would copy.
The Awful State of Sick Leave in the US
The best country in the world should allow people to get sick, right?
America doesn’t. Here’s the harsh truth about sick leave policies in the United States.
Source: Reddit
Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.