I interviewed Gary Lachman on our podcast a few years back, and he’s always writing and thinking; about other writers and thinkers. In this article he covers some huge topics and blends them together.
He starts out discussing the trouble we’re in….
In his monumental Study of History, a vast, twelve volume work that he laboured at for nearly thirty years, the twentieth century historian Arnold Toynbee argued that civilizations succeed or fail according to a certain pattern. He called this pattern, “challenge and response.” Certain crises arise that the civilization must face and overcome. Failing to do so leads to their collapse. On the face of it, this observation seems obvious, but there is more to it than this. Crises and challenges come in different shapes and sizes and what is important in Toynbee’s vision of history is the kind of crisis a civilization faces, because it is this that will determine its response.
….and ends the article by implying it won’t be mass movements or political leaders, but instead, outsiders and self-actualisers (who work alone), who just might provide the right solutions. Gary’s a great read and full of ideas; here’s the full article