Rome

In his book Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) said that the following five attributes marked the Roman Empire at its end:

1) A mounting love of show and luxury
2) A widening gap between the very rich and the very poor
3) An obsession with sex
4) freakishness in the arts, masquerading as originality, and enthusiasm pretending to be creativity
5) an increased desire to live off the state

Much to think about, yes? To fall into oblivion after rising to such heights? How far away from this are we?

More to follow...