re: “Hard times create strong men

There is a book dedicated to this cycle. I’ve not read it in a while but when I did, I was impressed at how accurate it was.

The fourth turning.

Feel better?

"Men climb the ladder of civilization in wooden shoes, they decend it in silk slippers." I believe that was Diocletion, talking about the men of Germania.

It’s lauded as some great truth. And to stick with Rome, the average Roman citizen wasn’t living it up and getting “soft.” There are a thousand reasons why civilizations rise and fall. It’s not a cycle of the average person being made weak by living in good times or strong by living in bad times.

quote:

---

It’s lauded as some great truth.

---

I think this is your problem. It's a Facebook meme. Nobody is taking it that serious. Even people who think there is truth in it.

quote:

---

It’s lauded as some great truth

---

ok.

quote:

---

Men climb the ladder of civilization in wooden shoes, they decend it in silk slippers." I believe that was Diocletion, talking about the men of Germania.

---

Which side would you rather be on?

quote:

---

We haven’t even begun to reach a level that is too good or “easy.

---

Our society has become the equivalent of bored housewives that have so little to do, that they make up problems and blast them on social media. Thats what the BLM and all the current race issues are, also the transgender stuff and stupid stuff that isnt even worth discussing but its front page news now.

Yeah it is. Talking down to chuds believing the absolute dumbest shite just because they have no historical understanding is always cool.

quote:

---

just referring to a generation or two for the “cycle” to occur.

---

There were many cycles within the Middle Ages, but the general cycle can be seen at macro and micro levels.

The nature of the Middle Ages was that different areas saw different cycles because of European decentralization. One could argue that the men surrounding (and immediately following) Alfred in the British Isles, Charlemagne in France/Germany, etc created good (or at least- much better) times.
By the High Middle ages, things were generally alot better until you saw the devolution of the 14th century.

But then the stronger men rose up, creating the merchant class and a basis for an emerging and independent middle class, going into the modern era.

Within different nations/kingdoms/areas, you saw the cycles enact at different times and at different speeds.
Sometimes, it can take several generations of "strong men" to build "good times" and sometimes it may take one or two. Same for the "weak men" and "bad times."

Your OP is accurate in the sense that the meme simplifies the model, but it doesn't make the model untrue.

People who grew up in "good times" don't have anything to compare their situation to and often complain about it until it is too late.
Take it from a 80s/90s malcontent. Those were some frickin great times in comparison to anything after about 2010, but I just didnt know it!
The post World War II world built by strong men started to come apart in the 21st century, and bad times seem to be with us for a while. That said, we still live like kings compared to rich people 200 years ago. Hence the micro and macro aspects of the general cycle.

We should not take for granted that things will continue to be that way, though.
Ask a Cretan or a Mayan. Minoan Crete had running water and piped sewerage (1300 BC I think?). Crete declined and fell and those things did not exist again in human society until the Western world brought them back in the late 1800s (AD).
Society is a facade. It can all go to shite rather quickly.