The Maya once thrived—a civilization of astronomers, builders, and warriors. And violent no doubt.
When the Spanish invaders arrived in the 1500s, waves of disease and superior weapons depopulated their lands. Guns fired faster than arrows, steel sliced deeper than stone, and unseen germs—brought on European ships—erased millions.
The Maya, like many others, fell not to virtue, but to invention.
This pattern echoed across the globe. In Mexico, few hundred men toppled the Aztecs with cannons and alliances forged in fear.
In Peru, forces captured the Inca emperor, unravelling a vast realm. Diseases like smallpox emptied villages before battles began—killing up to 90 percent in some areas, turning thriving communities into ghosts.
In Australasia, the British overwhelmed Aboriginals who fought with spears. Technology enabled massacres and land grabs, depopulating vast territories for farms and mines. No moral high ground—just better machines for killing and claiming.
Even in Bharat—the East India Company’s rifles, steamships, and telegraphs outpaced us. The 1857 rebellion crumbled under rapid reinforcements via rail and wire.
Colonizers didn’t win through ethics; they dominated with factories churning weapons and ships that shrank the world. Technology enslaved economies, extracting spices, cotton, and lives for distant empires.
The same tech, once a conqueror’s blade, now chains us all. Not bullets or plagues (although gain of function research does make viruses stronger) —it hollows us from within. Social media scrolls endlessly, hooking billions on likes and loops.
Dopamine surges with each notification, turning minds into addicts craving the next fix.
YouTube devours hours, promising knowledge but delivering distraction. Children’s attention spans shrink like melting ice—studies show kids now flit between tasks in seconds, unable to focus amid pings and pop-ups.
Inactivity is now a silent epidemic. Bodies on couches, fingers tapping screens while muscles atrophy. Junk food arrives via apps, no need to visit a restaurant.
Everything’s effortless: order groceries, rides, even friends through swipes. Human bonds and conversations have categories (in person or online), comments are faceless.
Loneliness surges through algorithms that curate echoes, not connections.
Just as the Maya faded into obscurity, their pyramids overgrown and stories forgotten even by native Mexicans who walk past without a glance, modern lives erode into meaninglessness.
Purpose dissolves in pixel glows. Duties ignored, families unstarted, as birth rates plummet worldwide—people chase viral highs over cradles.
Health sacrificed for scrolls, careers stalled and postponed by endless feeds. Instagram’s polished illusions promise joy but deliver envy; YouTube’s rabbit holes steal time meant for creation.
Technology once depopulated empires; now it enslaves souls. We trade legacies for likes, history for highlights.
Will we break free, or fade out?
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