-- Destruction doesn't come from war or revolution, it starts from under our feet.
What causes a civilization to collapse?
War? Epidemic? Economic collapse?
History has told the story many times,
but these are merely the final symptoms.
The true collapse of a civilization comes
after the soil collapses.
Civilization began with soil
Civilization did not begin with cities.
Neither with military or religious endeavors.
Civilization arose wherever there was arable soil.
Mesopotamia
Nile Basin
Indus
Yellow River
All of these places
were blessed with fertile soil and a water cycle.
Food surpluses were created,
populations grew,
specialized occupations were born,
and civilizations were established.
In other words,
soil was the infrastructure of civilization.
Civilizations always "use too much soil"
Civilization grows.
Population grows, cities expand, and production accelerates.
Then, invariably, the same things happen:
The expansion of monocultures
Over-plowing
Deforestation
Over-irrigation
At first, yields increase.
But that success
begins to deplete the soil.
The collapse proceeds silently
The collapse of soil isn’t dramatic.
– Organic matter decreases.
– Bacteria decrease.
– Water penetration becomes more limited.
Yields don’t drop immediately.
So the problem is postponed.
But after a certain point,
the time required to recover
exceeds the rate at which civilization can be maintained.
At that moment,
civilization begins to collapse from within.
War is not a cause but a consequence
Many civilizations are said to have perished due to war or invasion.
However, in reality,
there are always signs of this happening beforehand.
Food shortages
Rising prices
Widening inequality
Deteriorating security
All of these are strongly linked to a decline in soil fertility.
War is merely the “final adjustment” that occurs on damaged soil.
Modern civilization is no exception.
In modern times,
technology and finance have masked this problem.
– Chemical fertilizers
– Pesticides
– Global transportation
– Futures markets
But these do not extend the life of the soil.
If the soil collapses,
even the most advanced civilizations will suffer the same fate.
Lost perspective: "Soil takes time to regenerate"
Civilization moves quickly.
Elections take years,
markets take seconds,
and technology is updated every few months.
But soil is different.
– It takes decades for 1 cm of topsoil to form.
– It takes several years for organic matter to recover.
– It takes even longer for the mycelium network to rebuild.
A civilization that ignores these time differences
will always be able to make up for it.
Hemp indicates a turning point
One crop emerges: hemp.
Hemp is not a crop designed to prolong civilization.
It’s a crop designed to restore the soil.
The roots break down the soil.
They attract fungi.
They return water.
They restart the cycle.
This isn’t a choice for “continuing” civilization; it’s a gateway to rebuilding it.
There is only one condition for civilization to survive
Civilizations
don’t perish because of their ideas.
They don’t perish because of their systems.
They perish when they ignore what’s right under their feet.
A civilization that restores the soil will end.
A civilization that consumes the soil will end.
Conclusion
Civilization is born from the earth,
and crumbles from the earth.
If we want to save civilization,
the thing we must save first is not the economy, technology, or politics.
It is the earth.