The Laguna Beach Theory of History or Why Civilizations Fail

Here is the opening paragraph:

"An unforgettable flash of clarity in Laguna Beach more than thirty-five years ago made me keenly aware of an unheralded affliction wreaking havoc in our midst. Designated by three words – Survival Overcompensation Trauma and its telling acronym, SOT – this enduring human disorder may help explain why previous civilizations have failed and ours is not immune to this fate."

This three-word concept is is the author's original construct that provides a new perspective not only for most of human history but for what is happening in our world today.

Here are a few excerpts:

"Are we doomed always to live in a world where we suffered and died because there wasn't enough -- or in a world where we suffer and die because we don't know how to handle plenitude?"

"Will we adopt healthier lifestyles and reverse the trend toward obesity before our sedentary pleasures turn us into mush? Will we be able to solve the problem of public and private indebtedness before the situation spirals irretrievably out of control? Will we be able to safeguard our environment before our environment poisons us? Will we be able to eliminate nuclear weapons before they eliminate us? Will we be able to transition to the pursuit of higher altruistic pleasures before our selfishness tears apart the delicately interwoven fabric of our democratic societies -- and the world?"

"A million years hence, should anyone care for a brief explanation of our demise, the Torah/Old Testament tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden would say perfectly well just about all that needed to be said. Yes, they too had everything and wanted more."




The three-word concept empowering this version of history is an original contruct