Waiting for the Barbarians
The Course of Empire: Destruction by Thomas Cole
For every summer, there is a winter; and for the birth of every civilization, there is an end. From the Romans to Great Britain, the rise and fall of every great nation have marked each epoch of mankind. Often, remnants of each civilization would flock to the seeds of the next great era. Despite this cross-pollination, the dissolution of a civilization would have little long-term impact on the global order. Short-term economic fluctuations would stabilize, ethnic populations would shift, and political structures would adapt.
Now, in the 21st century, we are witnessing, for the first time, the global implications of the collapse of an order. In retrospect, most of our current challenges could have been resolved long ago, trivial in the face of the dark fate awaiting much of the developed world. However, it is too defeating to ponder what could have been and then muster the courage to ask what remains. The energy of change is palpable. There is no need to speculate or analyze census data—the nadir of the current global order has long passed. Trying to change the course of the future now is like attempting to divert a river with a stick; it’s meaningless.There is no reason to wistfully grasp at what has passed, longing for virtues of older civilizations that are as alien to modern man as a cow's physiology. The only way has always been to move forward. While some movements seek to harness technology to escape the grasp of suffocating governments, most of us await our fate with bated breath, aware yet powerless.
As more people join the ranks of the aware but disenfranchised, the allure of artificial intelligence grows stronger. AI increasingly infiltrates our ideas, tools, and infrastructure, showing the capacity to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. As AI becomes a more viable alternative, I wonder about the youth. To what extent will AI enable them to accomplish their goals? How will artificial intelligence integrate with existing systems?
When one ponders these questions, one begins to question the future in earnest. How will our generation continue to educate itself as the world cracks asunder? Will we have the courage to detach from failing systems? Will we believe in AI not just as a tool but as a separate entity?
“Waiting for the Barbarians” – C. P. Cavafy
Why this sudden bewilderment, this confusion?
Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,
everyone going home lost in thought?
Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven't come.
And some of our men just in from the border say
there are no barbarians any longer.
Now what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?
Those people were a kind of solution.