Civilisation Time Bomb

I was watching History Channel's Digging for the Truth on Ang Kor Wat and found it absolutely fascinating. CAn you imagine that one of the most advanced civilisations to exist actually is three hours away from Singapore?

I visited Ang Kor a couple of years back and now, I'm wishing I watched the documentary first before going. It made a point that any civilisation with large building projects have been to build and move rocks without having a rope beneath it. There are holes in the rocks around the temples and they were used to slot in wooden poles to move the rocks. It is amazing to see that the whole of the main templ was stacked and then carved on the spot. Won't want to be the sculptor that makes a mistake. Furthermore, the rocks all fitted perfectly together because the surfaces were round smooth.

The thing about the civilisation was that it was a victim of its own success. Over planting and deforstation led to the clogging of their intricate water canals and led to limited water supplies in the cities. This let them have less crops, wealth and more vulnerable to enemie's attacks.

Over the weekend, I also went for a climate change conference and it got me thinking about in built destruction mechanisms to civilisations. For example, a reason cited for pollution is consumption and sometimes over consumption and waste production. But consumption is part parcel of the capitalist system. Our markets and societies thrive on needs and buying.It drives prosperity and the economy. If we consumed less, we would generate less wealth and the economy suffers. Hence, there is limited level of reduction of consumption that countries undertake in order to help climate change because all of us want to be wealthy.

Does that mean we are doomed?

One prof mentioned that perphaps we are not meant to halt climate change. We can only slow it down and more importantly perphaps, we are meant to survive it so that the next civilisation can do better. Who knows...........