Commentary
Never before has humanity seen laid before it such an endless field strewn with earthly wealth at the very moment of realization that the treasure has become devoid of meaning.
Humanity at the peak of its prosperity is always reminded of the transience of its fortune—and then humiliated by the realization that wisdom evaporates from societies too long favored by wealth, leaving them unprepared to face the hardships that follow hubris.
Omar Khayyám’s “Rubáiyát” sets out our fate:
“The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
“Turns Ashes — or it prospers; and anon,
“Like Snow upon the Desert’s dusty Face
“Lighting a little Hour or two — is gone.”…