Late to read this one. I got into my journey of exploring empire decline through ecological issues, ultimately landing on Energy as Sacrifice during the Peak Oil moment. Which of course led to all kinds of rabbit holes to go down.
One of my earliest guides was Ivan Illich, and in particular his books <i>Tools for Conviviality</i> and <i>Energy and Equity</i>. I eventually got introduced to his later work when I dove into <i>Ivan Illich, An Intellectual Journey</i>, by David Cayley, which goes deep into Illich's thought on religion and spirituality (he was a Catholic priest, for anyone not familiar.)
Illich told Cayley he thought the fate of Western Civilization could be summed up in the Latin phrase <i>corruptio optimi pessima</i> (the corruption of the best is the worst). It was his belief that modernity "turned the Gospel upside down" ie, Heraclitus' enantiodromia.
There have been many other influences on my thinking, but Illich is my foundation for a lot of it. Your analogies here are illuminating and offer a clear path to understanding what's going on--so much so that I'm tempted to call it "Decline for Dummies" , meant as a high compliment. (Yes, you may use that as a book blurb;^) The premise is deep and insightful and right hemisphere, but the presentation is laid out with lots of left brain.
Your take on Israel is also interesting, and might offer some clarity in regard to that situation, which seems to be bubbling over in both political parties., but especially a certain factor of the right that is pulling back the curtain in terms of that country's machinations on the global stage since its inception.
Thank you for this — truly. I hadn’t encountered Illich or Cayley directly before your comment, so I went and looked them up, and I had one of those uncanny moments where it felt like looking into a mirror of my own thinking, just articulated through a different lineage and vocabulary.
Illich in particular feels like a kindred diagnostician. What struck me most is that I don’t feel like I’m starting with him so much as recognizing him — as if I’ve already worked through many of the same understandings from a different angle and am now finding the language and historical depth he brings to it.
My own “twist,” as it were, comes through a few lenses that keep recurring for me:
Entropy (science) and Enantiodromia (psychologically and civilizationally) as the engine behind so much of what we’re seeing unfold.
The Two Trees as a symbolic map — mirroring the hemispheres of the brain, with the right hemisphere resonating with heart-logic rather than domination or abstraction
And, at the center of it all, the insistence that God is Love, and that systems fail precisely when love is institutionalized, abstracted, or inverted
Illich’s corruptio optimi pessima lands hard — the corruption of the best into the worst — and yes, history really does seem to have a trickster streak. The Gospel turned upside down, charity becoming management, care becoming control… enantiodromia everywhere you look.
I’ll definitely be diving deeper into Illich and Cayley as I continue this journey, especially the later spiritual work you mention. It feels less like adding something new and more like sharpening and grounding what’s already been metabolized.
And yes — my next post will turn more directly to the "secular" Jews (whereby America became their God), not as a people, but as a historical and symbolic node caught in enantiodromia right now, being played by forces larger than themselves, just as so many civilizations and traditions have been before. History doesn’t just repeat — it inverts.
“Decline for Dummies” genuinely made me laugh — and I take it exactly as intended. If these analogies help bridge right-hemisphere insight into left-hemisphere clarity, then that feels like the work.
Merry Christmas to you as well, and thanks again for sharing your guides. This kind of exchange is part of what makes the journey worthwhile.
Wendy, I'm feeling like I'm traveling through the looking glass with you leading the way. Deeper than I could ever go on my own but thrilled with this ride. Amazing and astounded by seeing how this puzzle all fits together. The left brain has now attained unlimited constraints. I'm starting to wonder if an autopsy of the human brain might reveal that the right side has become increasingly smaller or atrophied over the millennium? Seriously. looks like it could be a case of use it, or lose it. This episode is such food for thought. I'd like to hope for a "rightful" resurrection to course correct instead of what looks like a foregone process of enantiodromia. Thinking it is a great idea to turn this series into a book once it's completed; a compelling read and a needed gift......
Barbara, thank you. That’s the highest compliment—and my looking glass is really you and the few readers who engage. Honestly, it means the world when you comment. Otherwise, it can feel like speaking to a wall. :)
Your phrase "unlimited constraints" is brilliant—the perfect description of the left hemisphere’s paradox: total freedom to build a cage of its own design. That’s exactly where this series is designed to explore.
Your atrophy question is profound. I doubt it’s physical shrinkage, but a functional exile, absolutely. The right hemisphere’s mode—open, receptive, relational—becomes a forgotten language in a world shouting in the dialect of utility and control. Use it or lose it, indeed.
I also hope for a "rightful resurrection," but I don’t see our collective choosing it. It’s an internal shift. You have to see the choice before you can make it—and so many are choosing not to look, or worse, seeing only through the lens of team rivalry instead of humble, enlightened perspective.
Your encouragement on the book means a great deal. Thank you for being on this journey.
Thank you Wendy. Your responses are so thoughtful and always add another keen observation. It's easy to be engaged with following your journey because of the rewards I gain by tagging along. Happy trails..........and Merry Christmas too!
Thank you. 🙏 You’ve named the chilling endpoint: when the logic of debt colonizes friendship itself, turning communion into portfolio management. The “social ROI” is the perfect, devastating phrase for it. You see the mechanism clearly. Grateful for your insight.
Incredible piece. This quote is one of my favorites: "To choose a side is not to escape the Kingdom of Judgment, but to help haunt one of its wings."
Thank you, Melody! Mine too. :)
Late to read this one. I got into my journey of exploring empire decline through ecological issues, ultimately landing on Energy as Sacrifice during the Peak Oil moment. Which of course led to all kinds of rabbit holes to go down.
One of my earliest guides was Ivan Illich, and in particular his books <i>Tools for Conviviality</i> and <i>Energy and Equity</i>. I eventually got introduced to his later work when I dove into <i>Ivan Illich, An Intellectual Journey</i>, by David Cayley, which goes deep into Illich's thought on religion and spirituality (he was a Catholic priest, for anyone not familiar.)
Illich told Cayley he thought the fate of Western Civilization could be summed up in the Latin phrase <i>corruptio optimi pessima</i> (the corruption of the best is the worst). It was his belief that modernity "turned the Gospel upside down" ie, Heraclitus' enantiodromia.
There have been many other influences on my thinking, but Illich is my foundation for a lot of it. Your analogies here are illuminating and offer a clear path to understanding what's going on--so much so that I'm tempted to call it "Decline for Dummies" , meant as a high compliment. (Yes, you may use that as a book blurb;^) The premise is deep and insightful and right hemisphere, but the presentation is laid out with lots of left brain.
Your take on Israel is also interesting, and might offer some clarity in regard to that situation, which seems to be bubbling over in both political parties., but especially a certain factor of the right that is pulling back the curtain in terms of that country's machinations on the global stage since its inception.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for this — truly. I hadn’t encountered Illich or Cayley directly before your comment, so I went and looked them up, and I had one of those uncanny moments where it felt like looking into a mirror of my own thinking, just articulated through a different lineage and vocabulary.
Illich in particular feels like a kindred diagnostician. What struck me most is that I don’t feel like I’m starting with him so much as recognizing him — as if I’ve already worked through many of the same understandings from a different angle and am now finding the language and historical depth he brings to it.
My own “twist,” as it were, comes through a few lenses that keep recurring for me:
Entropy (science) and Enantiodromia (psychologically and civilizationally) as the engine behind so much of what we’re seeing unfold.
The Two Trees as a symbolic map — mirroring the hemispheres of the brain, with the right hemisphere resonating with heart-logic rather than domination or abstraction
And, at the center of it all, the insistence that God is Love, and that systems fail precisely when love is institutionalized, abstracted, or inverted
Illich’s corruptio optimi pessima lands hard — the corruption of the best into the worst — and yes, history really does seem to have a trickster streak. The Gospel turned upside down, charity becoming management, care becoming control… enantiodromia everywhere you look.
I’ll definitely be diving deeper into Illich and Cayley as I continue this journey, especially the later spiritual work you mention. It feels less like adding something new and more like sharpening and grounding what’s already been metabolized.
And yes — my next post will turn more directly to the "secular" Jews (whereby America became their God), not as a people, but as a historical and symbolic node caught in enantiodromia right now, being played by forces larger than themselves, just as so many civilizations and traditions have been before. History doesn’t just repeat — it inverts.
“Decline for Dummies” genuinely made me laugh — and I take it exactly as intended. If these analogies help bridge right-hemisphere insight into left-hemisphere clarity, then that feels like the work.
Merry Christmas to you as well, and thanks again for sharing your guides. This kind of exchange is part of what makes the journey worthwhile.
Just to clarify, your view is unique, and you are now one of my guides on this little exploration.
Wendy, I'm feeling like I'm traveling through the looking glass with you leading the way. Deeper than I could ever go on my own but thrilled with this ride. Amazing and astounded by seeing how this puzzle all fits together. The left brain has now attained unlimited constraints. I'm starting to wonder if an autopsy of the human brain might reveal that the right side has become increasingly smaller or atrophied over the millennium? Seriously. looks like it could be a case of use it, or lose it. This episode is such food for thought. I'd like to hope for a "rightful" resurrection to course correct instead of what looks like a foregone process of enantiodromia. Thinking it is a great idea to turn this series into a book once it's completed; a compelling read and a needed gift......
Barbara, thank you. That’s the highest compliment—and my looking glass is really you and the few readers who engage. Honestly, it means the world when you comment. Otherwise, it can feel like speaking to a wall. :)
Your phrase "unlimited constraints" is brilliant—the perfect description of the left hemisphere’s paradox: total freedom to build a cage of its own design. That’s exactly where this series is designed to explore.
Your atrophy question is profound. I doubt it’s physical shrinkage, but a functional exile, absolutely. The right hemisphere’s mode—open, receptive, relational—becomes a forgotten language in a world shouting in the dialect of utility and control. Use it or lose it, indeed.
I also hope for a "rightful resurrection," but I don’t see our collective choosing it. It’s an internal shift. You have to see the choice before you can make it—and so many are choosing not to look, or worse, seeing only through the lens of team rivalry instead of humble, enlightened perspective.
Your encouragement on the book means a great deal. Thank you for being on this journey.
Thank you Wendy. Your responses are so thoughtful and always add another keen observation. It's easy to be engaged with following your journey because of the rewards I gain by tagging along. Happy trails..........and Merry Christmas too!
Merry Christmas to you too! Thank you. 🙏
Thank you. 🙏 You’ve named the chilling endpoint: when the logic of debt colonizes friendship itself, turning communion into portfolio management. The “social ROI” is the perfect, devastating phrase for it. You see the mechanism clearly. Grateful for your insight.