• The West goes through a period of collapse every 250 years or so; we are currently living through a political crisis as well as a demographic and psychological crisis 
• Three variables that predict when society is trending toward a civil war
  • 1. Growing inequality 
  • 2. Increasing competition over elite jobs 
  • 3. Stagnating wages
• During more tumultuous times, society tends to split into factions; the West is currently split into the political right and left 
• Humans are tied to the environments that we grew up in, but we did not evolve to develop in the urban environment in which we do 
• The ability to maintain religion and socialization weakens when society becomes predominantly urban
• The rise of anonymous environments in urban settings leads to a breakdown in social cooperation 
• The “Psychological Plague”:A societal phenomenon where negative emotions, irrational behaviors, and harmful ideologies spread like a disease among people
• Society must strike a balance between creating enough social institutions to keep people in check, but not too many or else individualism gets crushed 
• Religion establishes psychological stability for society; it tells individuals what they should and should not do by establishing social standards 
• The left is interested in maintaining and growing bureaucracy; it latches onto problems that cannot ever be solved to justify additional funding, thus expanding the bureaucracy further 

In this riveting episode of "Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu," host Tom Bilyeu sits down with Rudyard Lynch, a provocative historian and creator of the YouTube channel "What If Alt Hist." Together, they delve into the concept of societal suicide, examining the breakdowns that drive communities to self-destruction. Lynch provides an unsettling perspective on the decline of Western culture, the ramifications of economic policies, and the creeping dangers of technological and governmental control.

Join us as we navigate these complex issues, from the manipulation of money and rising debt, to the socio-political shifts that threaten our future. This episode promises to challenge your perceptions and offer crucial insights into the mechanisms driving our world's turmoil.

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