What the Unravelling Project is All About

Introduction

I grew up the youngest child of a World War II veteran. By the time I was old enough to have a decent discussion with my dad, he was pretty beaten down by the world. But one day, he said something I will never forget. I can’t recall the context or what might have prompted it, but I am sure it was in the mid- to late 1960s. His words echo down to me now. “This isn’t the country I grew up in or the one I fought for.” He might have been talking to himself, or perhaps to me, but either way I have never forgotten it.

My dad wasn’t a political man. Not at all. But he was a patriot, and at that rare moment, I could tell he cared about the country he had put his life on the line for.

Nearly six decades later, I find myself feeling the same way.

Several months ago, I re-read a couple of books that I thought might help me understand what is happening to our culture. The first was Jared Diamond’s classic Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. The second was When Nations Die: America on the Brink: Ten Warning Signs of a Culture in Crisis by Jim Nelson Black. Diamond’s book was written 20 years ago, Black’s 30. I thought it might be time to revisit the idea of cultural decline in light of new technologies, new power structures, and new social norms.

From the very start of my research, it became clear that several things had changed since these authors wrote their books. Not little things, big things.

·??????? The dawn of the information era and the internet, followed closely by the rise of social media led to the attention economy where a sophisticated blend of psychology and technology intentionally target human weaknesses for profit.

·??????? Sophisticated and coordinated attacks on Western culture by political, ideological, and national actors with long term visions and plans, waged against a society who was becoming unable to think or act in anything but the short term.

·??????? The decline in critical thinking ability fostered by a failing education system, making our society unable to identify, acknowledge or parry the assaults.

We often hear the term “Culture War” tossed around but in this case the battle is pretty much one-sided. The Western culture – American and European – is losing. Oh, there are a few skirmishes where small tactical victories are attained, but strategically, we continue to slide towards defeat.

But it ain’t over until it’s over. As a military historian, I heed the words of the great strategist Sun Tzu, who told us “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

I began the Unravelling Project to better know both ourselves and our enemies.

It's a start.