While media headlines often fixate on America's challenges, a compelling perspective suggests we are currently living in a historical golden age unprecedented in human history. According to commentator John Stossel, life in contemporary America surpasses any previous era, contrasting sharply with most of human history characterized by hunger, disease, illiteracy, slavery, and constant warfare.
Rome's Recipe for Success: Openness and Innovation
In his recent analysis featuring historian Johan Norberg, author of Peak Human, Stossel explores the remarkable achievements of Ancient Rome. The Roman Empire, which once stretched across Europe, Africa, and Asia, established governmental foundations that directly influenced America's system of checks and balances and representative governance.
The Romans distinguished themselves through remarkable openness to new ideas and talent. Rather than simply conquering territories, they integrated subjected peoples into their society, offering citizenship, business opportunities, and military careers. This meritocratic approach was so effective that even the son of a freed slave could eventually ascend to become emperor.
Norberg emphasizes that Roman tolerance served as a strategic advantage. They adopted superior technologies from across their empire—swords from Spaniards, ships from Carthage, and innovative business models from various cultures. This created an integrated free trade zone that sourced the best materials and technologies available, ultimately contributing to their global dominance.
The Downfall: When Entitlements Overwhelmed Innovation
The Roman Empire's decline offers sobering lessons for modern societies. Norberg identifies several factors in its collapse, including disease and barbarian invasions, but highlights one particularly relevant to contemporary America: unsustainable entitlement spending.
The system of bread and circuses began modestly, providing subsistence means to the very poor. However, as the practice grew increasingly popular, the population dependent on public resources expanded dramatically. Successive emperors recognized the problem but failed to implement necessary reforms, creating a scenario where fewer people worked while more consumed public resources.
This historical pattern mirrors modern challenges with Social Security, Medicare, and welfare programs facing financial instability. Roman leaders responded to these fiscal pressures by debasing their currency, reducing the gold and silver content in coins—an ancient equivalent of modern money printing that led to devastating inflation.
When inflation spiraled out of control, Roman emperors blamed greedy businessmen and imposed price controls on numerous goods. These measures ultimately failed, further undermining the empire's economic foundation.
Preserving America's Golden Age
Norberg identifies concerning parallels between Rome's decline and current trends in America and other Western nations. The backlash against trade, migration, and innovation, coupled with growing unsustainable debts, represents worrying signs that societies may be taking their wealth and comfort for granted.
However, the historian offers a note of cautious optimism. Decline is not inevitable if societies recognize these patterns and take corrective action. There remains time to unleash new waves of innovation and progress by recommitting to the principles that enabled growth and prosperity.
The key lesson from history is clear: civilizations that forget what made their success possible risk repeating the mistakes that led to the collapse of once-great empires. America's continued openness to talent, commitment to innovation, and willingness to address fiscal challenges will determine whether our current golden age can be preserved for future generations.
