Define "came back from the collapse of the Roman Empire". We only have a few thousand years of recorded human history as a benchmark, but the "Dark Ages" weren

Define "came back from the collapse of the Roman Empire". We only have a few thousand years of recorded human history as a benchmark, but the "Dark Ages" weren't as dark as people think they were. They simply lacked large central authorities with state-sponsored violence used to maintain control. I would put forward that the biggest hurdle most humans have to get over, and this goes really for most modern societies, is putting preservation before perseverance. I don't intend to come off as a nihilist, but I suppose there are also very few new thoughts under the sun. The status quo is an illusion in our minds, and to even begin to place any one part of human history in an objective rank of better or worse misses the trajectory of life as we understand it. Evolution does not promise better, it promises continued existence. Climate change is a human problem, not an Earth problem. Civilization collapse is a me and you problem, not a human problem. To the extent that we put the burden of preservation on ourselves we risk missing the point of perseverance that all life around us demonstrates every day. The unique gift humans give to that equation, which no one can yet explain why we have this gift, is to bring both logic and compassion to our continued existence. Let's remember to keep logic and compassion in balance and live our lives as though we were not going to live forever.