Beware The High
History has a way of repeating itself, not always in the details, but in the patterns. When you step back far enough, you start to see the cycle: great upheavals followed by periods of booming prosperity — followed by another crash. And while the specifics change, the emotional highs and lows seem somehow familiar.
Take June 28, 1914, for example. On that day, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, triggering a domino effect that plunged the world into the First World War. Tensions in Europe had been simmering for years; the assassination was merely the spark that ignited the proverbial powder keg. By the time the war ended in 1918, an estimated 40 million lives had been lost, leaving the world battered, broken, and searching for meaning.
And then? The Roaring Twenties. In the United States, a massive military war machine transitioned into a booming economy. Prosperity — at least for some — led to a new kind of cultural exuberance. Younger generations, eager to shake off the shadows of war, embraced hedonism with open arms. Booze, jazz, parties, and a devil-may-care attitude became the norm. The country rode high on the wave of consumerism, technology (such as it was back then), and financial speculation.
But here’s the thing about highs — they’re often unsustainable.
