I take a view that I like to think is more comforting: all empires fall, but it is largely because the precepts that they were built on fall by the wayside due to moral progress that is only possible because of the economic and security benefits that empires seem to inevitably bring for their citizens.
So it’s kinda a good thing that the “rules based order” is going by the wayside, it will (eventually) be replaced by something better that doesn’t rely on the countries that “won” WWII choosing a path for everybody else. Sadly probably not in your and my lifetimes, but I hope my grandkids will see it (and ideally be a part of it).
Initially that is true for all citizens. However, as with all Empires throughout history, the economic and security benefits ultimately accrue to an elite few leaving the majority of the population impoverished, which in turn leads to the downfall of the ‘Empire’. Bread and Circuses will only go so far…
The reason I agree with you is simply because the rules do not apply to all equally. Not just between nations, but within them. There is a huge chasm (or should I say abyss) between what is legal/lawful (rules) and what is right/just.
Just listened to Ready Player One again for the third time (IIRC). An easy listen, quite visual in my mind and I’m 58 so was an 80’s kid. No antidepressants needed.
Different to the movie, but necessarily so.
Destroyer of Worlds. It is a history of our unraveling of the mysteries of the atomic nucleus. The masters like Rutherford, Curie and Fermi are covered in detail. But what really helped my understanding was the way the author held my hand through the basics of the science. It’s just technical enough that you feel justified in being an observer placed among these great discoverers.
I am having quite a nice day today! This arrived in the mail. Carl was a respected pilot at my airline. I never flew with him but I knew of him. Someone pointed him out to me in the “weather room” once saying, “If you are a Pitts guy, talk to Carl.” I walked over and said hello but he was a bit distracted and rushed and we never had a chance to really chat. After he retired I leaned that he had written a memoir. I immediately bought the Kindle version but the formatting was so bad that it was unreadable. A couple of weeks ago I reached out to him on Facebook to ask if I could buy a paper edition, signed if possible. He asked for my address and I asked for his Venmo but he refused payment. What I got was a really pretty hardcover edition filled with sketches.
The guy had a full airline career. But a quick skim shows possibly not a single mention of airline flying. Half the volume is A-7, the rest aerobatics and GA. The guy’s my hero already!
It has been ages since I have read any Fantasy, so much over the past few years has (IMHO) been like poorly written fan-fiction or squarely aimed at the YA market.
A friend put me on to a new series. Wow. It is really, really good.
The Fallen Gods Trilogy by Hannah Kaner. I read the first book Godkiller in under two days, I literally couldn’t put it down. Just started on the second - Sunbringer.
