The glory that was Rome is nothing to the glory that is today. Rome was good at extracting wealth and so created some awesome science and statues, but it does n

The glory that was Rome is nothing to the glory that is today. Rome was good at extracting wealth and so created some awesome science and statues, but it does not a stable society make, because if you want more stuff you have to take it from somebody else. We are good at creating wealth. That means that if you want more stuff, you are better of creating something that others value that you can then trade for. Not always, not for everyone and not for everything, because the system isn't perfect. But often enough that the standard of living is rising around the world, and has only partially declined in some sectors in the US and other advanced economies. But if you compare the US with Rome, Persia, the Greek states or anywhere else, beware of the fundamental difference.