In nature, Chaos and Order perform an intricate dance. Opposing forces coalesce to create balance and harmony. Chaos is the primordial stew from which creativity emerges, and Order is the stabilizing force that reins it in. Cycles and seasons corral the serendipitous dance.
“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” ~ Maya Angelou
Civilizations are forced to play by nature’s rules, too. Since the beginning of recorded history, they have two-stepped between decentralization and centralization as they rose and fell. Agriculture drove the first significant centralization as tribes and villages banded together to create irrigation networks. This social interaction and cooperation formed the first cities.
Historically, these cooperatives were small groups working together, leading to a bottom-up governance system. Ten thousand years later, we still face the problem of these mini-democracies becoming victims of their success. As more people show up, they become bigger and more difficult to manage. So, like magic, a manager (president, governor, king, tyrant, etc.) shows up with grand ideas about scalability, and the next step is centralization.
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” ~ Thomas Paine
The fatal flaw in all centralized governments is that unchecked growth without local self-limiting feedback loops creates materialism. It was the same problem (addiction) ten thousand years ago in Mesopotamia as it is here in the present paradigm. The Sumerian Kings learned that you can build great things with centralized control, but materialism eventually hollows it out, collapsing it. Then everything turns to shit; a cycle that has been repeating for 10,000 years.
Can we break the cycle and build decentralized organizations governed from the bottom up, or will we devolve into chaos again? The Globalist regime, which has long been in charge of managing the Great Wide World, has hollowed out our once great society. Our civilization is on the verge of collapse. But we have an opportunity that comes only once in many generations.
“Anarchy doesn’t mean out of control; it means out of their control.” ~ Jim Dodge
Did Team Trump show up in the nick of time, heroes wielding their swords of decentralization? Will they be able to defeat the globalists and prevent another excursion through the cycle of chaos, tyranny, and anarchy? Probably not, but we can hope (for the first time in quite a while). If we use history as a guide, we’re headed straight into a chaotic maelstrom. At the end of every cycle, civilizations face two choices: descend into chaos or decentralize willingly.
After ten thousand years, you’d think we would’ve learned the lessons of nature. Yin and Yang capture the duality of nature perfectly. Yin represents the receptive and chaotic aspects, and Yang represents stability and order. Together, they create harmony and balance, an eternal dance that sustains the equilibrium of the cosmos.
The intricate dance of chaos and order ensures that life’s cyclical rhythm is maintained. So perhaps we are destined to repeat the cycle, just as day follows night and Spring renews after Winter. Chaos and Order are the brush strokes GOD uses to paint an ever-evolving masterpiece. Embracing Chaos helps us to see the inherent beauty in the unpredictable nature of all.
Decentralization is how nature works, stabilizing itself with diversification and flexibility. It is the perfect model for mankind as well, but every time in recorded history that we are dashed on the rocks of collapse, we rebuild similar centralized control structures. There are signs, however, that it might be different this time.
“Where there’s authority, there’s no freedom.” ~ David Graeber
Blockchain or decentralized finance, is an emerging peer-to-peer (P2P) system that removes third parties and centralized institutions from financial transactions. Other P2P systems like Ebay and Substack have become quite popular, and open-source software and online learning are also on fire. My intuition is still screaming that the centralized control system will crash and burn and we’ll descend into anarchy and chaos for a time.
Chaos is mysterious and beautiful but difficult to navigate, especially when everyone is addicted to purposeless materialism. Order emerges from Chaos though, so while I feel strongly that we’ll get it right and build decentralized control structures in the future, there will be some pain and suffering first.
“The important thing is to never stop questioning.” ~ Albert Einstein