Thank you for providing an English version. (German is too hard for me :-) Many years ago I was involved with a bunch of people from Political Science, Laws, and Sociology during my college years in a far away place. I knew a couple of PhD in political science, but they have American degrees. A German PhD is considerably more difficult. As a layman, I would say you have the potential to become as good as professor Glenn Diesen, and Germany needs you, even if you don't get involved in real politics. It is a thinker for a country's future that is important. If one is too close to power, that tends to skew the assessment of the situation and designs of policies. My best wishes to you for a successful study.
I made a living as a computer engineer, now retired, but my main interest is history, especially military history. I totally agree with your general description of how an empire fades and then eventually dies. Hundreds of years later, same ethnic group, same language, with clear cultural and blood lineage still occupy the same place, but they are simply not the same people. written Chinese history during the last three thousand years has all the usual up and down. More specifically, with about 1200 years of "normal" and 300 years of major havoc. Currently it is about the end of the second 300 years of havoc. "Natural Resources" is not a typical concern besides sufficient food supply and wars to acquire arable land. Nobody really fight to conquer desert or ocean, only to use them as conduits (and deny the use to others.)
But in the modern society, especially after the industrial revolution, most of the big jobs are done by machines using energy source outside of human or animal bodies. Survival for a country, and for an individual is much more difficult now. Reasons? More kinds of resources are needed, and human history has not witnessed an empire in decline in a background of dwindling resources. Of course I am somewhat jumping the gun as most of the critical resources are still widely available or at least you can buy. The net effect is smaller countries and smaller mom-and-pop shops are difficult to survive. Employees are more difficult to negotiate with employers on equal footing. Democracy, for example, are best for small localities. Once a nation gets big, many difficulties will arise in the political system even if economy dictates that the nation has to be big. This is what I have been thinking about lately. About half of my existing 50 postings are related to this kind of subjects, the other half is more related to news items.
I am very eager to see more works from you and hopefully you don't mind my murmuring.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging comment. I'm truly humbled by your kind words and the comparison to Professor Glenn Diesen. It means a great deal to hear that my writing resonated with you.
I'm not sure whether a German PhD is harder than an American one though.
It's fascinating to learn about your background in computer engineering and your interest in military history. I find your insights, specifically, the parallels you draw with Chinese history and its periods of stability and upheaval really enlightening. And I would agree that we are at the end of a turbulent cycle.
I agree that the modern era presents new challenges for nations and individuals alike. The shift from manual labor to machine-driven economies has transformed resource needs and societal structures. Your observations about large nations are also worth exploring. I hadn't thought about it too much but there's truth there. How can the increase in resources, technology, and one could say economic and political power impact a big country?
I appreciate your "murmurings" immensely—they also make me think and I will also read your posts because these are really meaningful questions you are asking.
Thank you again for your support and best wishes for my studies.
I look forward to sharing more of my work and continuing this dialogue with you.
Wow! That's quite interesting and not surprising given the historical large quantity of migrants who had come from Germany or German-speaking lands. Interesting. I'm going to read more about this historical fact. Thank you, Dr. Belvins.
💯 agree with this- “ The belief that we are powerless in the face of global events is a dangerous illusion. Our collective awareness and action hold the potential to shape a different future”.
I hear people say all the time when I’m speaking with them- “well it’s too late or I’m too old or there’s nothing we can do about it” and I’m like THAT IS part of the reason our country and other countries are in the situations they are in today- because the people allowed it.
Thank you for providing an English version. (German is too hard for me :-) Many years ago I was involved with a bunch of people from Political Science, Laws, and Sociology during my college years in a far away place. I knew a couple of PhD in political science, but they have American degrees. A German PhD is considerably more difficult. As a layman, I would say you have the potential to become as good as professor Glenn Diesen, and Germany needs you, even if you don't get involved in real politics. It is a thinker for a country's future that is important. If one is too close to power, that tends to skew the assessment of the situation and designs of policies. My best wishes to you for a successful study.
I made a living as a computer engineer, now retired, but my main interest is history, especially military history. I totally agree with your general description of how an empire fades and then eventually dies. Hundreds of years later, same ethnic group, same language, with clear cultural and blood lineage still occupy the same place, but they are simply not the same people. written Chinese history during the last three thousand years has all the usual up and down. More specifically, with about 1200 years of "normal" and 300 years of major havoc. Currently it is about the end of the second 300 years of havoc. "Natural Resources" is not a typical concern besides sufficient food supply and wars to acquire arable land. Nobody really fight to conquer desert or ocean, only to use them as conduits (and deny the use to others.)
But in the modern society, especially after the industrial revolution, most of the big jobs are done by machines using energy source outside of human or animal bodies. Survival for a country, and for an individual is much more difficult now. Reasons? More kinds of resources are needed, and human history has not witnessed an empire in decline in a background of dwindling resources. Of course I am somewhat jumping the gun as most of the critical resources are still widely available or at least you can buy. The net effect is smaller countries and smaller mom-and-pop shops are difficult to survive. Employees are more difficult to negotiate with employers on equal footing. Democracy, for example, are best for small localities. Once a nation gets big, many difficulties will arise in the political system even if economy dictates that the nation has to be big. This is what I have been thinking about lately. About half of my existing 50 postings are related to this kind of subjects, the other half is more related to news items.
I am very eager to see more works from you and hopefully you don't mind my murmuring.
Dear Nakayama,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging comment. I'm truly humbled by your kind words and the comparison to Professor Glenn Diesen. It means a great deal to hear that my writing resonated with you.
I'm not sure whether a German PhD is harder than an American one though.
It's fascinating to learn about your background in computer engineering and your interest in military history. I find your insights, specifically, the parallels you draw with Chinese history and its periods of stability and upheaval really enlightening. And I would agree that we are at the end of a turbulent cycle.
I agree that the modern era presents new challenges for nations and individuals alike. The shift from manual labor to machine-driven economies has transformed resource needs and societal structures. Your observations about large nations are also worth exploring. I hadn't thought about it too much but there's truth there. How can the increase in resources, technology, and one could say economic and political power impact a big country?
I appreciate your "murmurings" immensely—they also make me think and I will also read your posts because these are really meaningful questions you are asking.
Thank you again for your support and best wishes for my studies.
I look forward to sharing more of my work and continuing this dialogue with you.
Best regards,
Nel
Nel, here's an interesting fact that came to mind when I saw the word "hegemon" -- we were ONE vote away from having German as our national language
Wow! That's quite interesting and not surprising given the historical large quantity of migrants who had come from Germany or German-speaking lands. Interesting. I'm going to read more about this historical fact. Thank you, Dr. Belvins.
💯 agree with this- “ The belief that we are powerless in the face of global events is a dangerous illusion. Our collective awareness and action hold the potential to shape a different future”.
I hear people say all the time when I’m speaking with them- “well it’s too late or I’m too old or there’s nothing we can do about it” and I’m like THAT IS part of the reason our country and other countries are in the situations they are in today- because the people allowed it.