Book Byte #114 "The Fourth Turning" by William Strauss and Neil Howe

What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

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?? Curious Quotes from the Author

“Where we once thought ourselves collectively strong, we now regard ourselves as individually entitled.”

“Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history, commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II.”

“A Prophet generation is born during a High. A Nomad generation is born during an Awakening. A Hero generation is born during an Unraveling. An Artist generation is born during a Crisis.”

“History is seasonal, and winter is coming.”

“Yet the great weakness of linear time is that it obliterates time's recurrence and thus cuts people off from the eternal—whether in nature, in each other, or in ourselves. When we deem our social destiny entirely self-directed and our personal lives self-made, we lose any sense of participating in a collective myth larger than ourselves. We cannot ritually join with those who come before or after us.”

“In war, people yearn for relief from strife, leading to peace. In peace, people yearn to champion what they love, leading to war.”

“To fix crime we have to fix the family, but before we do that we have to fix welfare, and that means fixing our budget, and that means fixing our civic spirit, but we can't do that without fixing moral standards, and that means fixing schools and churches, and that means fixing the inner cities, and that's impossible unless we fix crime.”

“Around World War II, we were proud as a people but modest as individuals.”

“When we deem our social destiny entirely self-directed and our personal lives self-made, we lose any sense of participating in a collective myth larger than ourselves.”

“The suppression dates back to the early Christians who tried to root out calendrical paganism, denounced classical cycles, and pushed underground entire branches of nonlinear learning, such as the hermetic fields of alchemy and astrology.”

“On the temple to Athena at Athens was inscribed the epigram “All human things are a circle”—a sentiment echoed by Greco-Roman philosophers from Aristotle to Marcus Aurelius.”

“More recently, the West began using technology to flatten the very physical evidence of natural cycles. With artificial light, we believe we defeat the sleep-wake cycle; with climate control, the seasonal cycle; with refrigeration, the agricultural cycle; and with high-tech medicine, the rest-recovery cycle.”

“Over a period of time (roughly 100 years) a world power emerges from a global war only to experience a gradual decay in its position of preponderance,” writes Thompson. “Global order decays at a parallel rate until a new global war occurs and facilitates the emergence of a new world power.”

“The linearist view of technology fails to appreciate the dangers a new turning can bring. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is now predicting that everyone will soon tune in to a world of unlimited options via high-tech portable devices. What he nowhere mentions is that by merely reversing a few circuits the same technology could empower a central authority to monitor what every individual is doing.”

“A Fourth Turning lends people of all ages what is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to heal (or destroy) the very heart of the republic.”

“Before, the dominant numerical paradigm for change was four, originally a feminine symbol in most cultures. In the great quaternities of seasons, directions, and elements, the fourth element always circles back to the others. Today, the dominant paradigm is three, originally a masculine symbol. In the great triads of Christianity and modern philosophy, the third element always transcends the others.”

“Each of these sparks is linked to a specific threat about which society had been fully informed but against which it had left itself poorly protected. Afterward, the fact that these sparks were foreseeable but poorly foreseen gives rise to a new sense of urgency about institutional dysfunction and civic vulnerability. This marks the beginning of the vertiginous spiral of Crisis.”

?? Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea:

History unfolds in the shape of a spiral, moving forward while always following the same four-season saecula that recur repeatedly over time. There is a High, an Awakening, an Unraveling, and eventually a Crisis, each represented by a generational archetype: Heroes, Prophets, Nomads, and Artists. The greatest method to weather all four seasons is to engage in seasonal behaviors and activities while avoiding unseasonal ones.

Develop a support system inside your family. During a crisis, having a support system is crucial, and family is the most important. Other social and institutional supports will fail and erode during this time. An interconnected, multigenerational web of relatives can act as a safety net. If you are a wealthy elder, for example, you may begin transferring assets to your heirs to avoid future estate taxation. If you are young and do not have a partner or children, form an alternative family structure with neighbors, acquaintances, and coworkers. Whatever you do, do not find yourself socially alone.

???Fixing the Tech Industry

The Biggest event of our lives has been the Computer Revolution. It has brought with it many advancements, but also many problems. As AI becomes more ubiquitous and Digital Connection more commonplace, it’s important that we realize what needs to be done to help humans be protected from forces that would enslave us. With Great Power comes great responsibility. It’s important to wield that power for good and not waste it less than useful vices. History is doomed to repeat itself. Better to prepare for it than be unprepared.

??Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:\

What major differences do you see between the different generations: Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z when it comes to Technology use?

My Software Stack: I use Skool for my Online Community Platform and ClickFunnels for my Landing Pages, Payments, and Email Sequencing. I use Substack for my Newsletter and Taskade for AI Note Taking/Second Brain/Project Management. I use my Personal Amazon Store for Tech and Book Recommendations.