I used to wonder how Rome could fall without anyone knowing exactly why. Surely an empire that lasted five centuries, and conquered all of Europe, must have bee

I used to wonder how Rome could fall without anyone knowing exactly why. Surely an empire that lasted five centuries, and conquered all of Europe, must have been brought down by some great event, some unmistakable rupture. Watching the American Empire fray in real time, I think I understand now. Empires do not always fall with a crash. Sometimes they simply lose the will to continue. Apparently, empires can collapse out of something almost like boredom. Maybe "boredom" is the wrong word. But collapse may begin when a civilization can no longer summon enough belief, energy, or attention to sustain itself.