[skywal_l]

> the peak of your civilization

The more I think of it, the more I think this time was the actual peak of civilization (from a westerner's point of view). The Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Nagano in 98, when the world was singing the Ode to Joy was that peak moment for me [0]. After that, it went all downhill.

[0] https://youtu.be/7aGNei01fzQ?feature=shared&t=6290

[high_priest]

So many posts mention years '98 & '99 as the "peak of civilisation". Them being years of my birth, these mentions & my experiences, enforce in me the feeling that I was born into a falling civilisation.

Not that I do not enjoy the vision of passing the stick from organic creatures, made by happenstance, to purpose built machines. But as a human, I do miss the endless opportunities of the 2000s chaos and I feel like they were better times than todays monitored, calculated, cold life under cameras & microphones.

[jprete]

After at least 25 years exposed to various civilizational cycle and "Fall of Western Civilization" memes, I still don't know whether it's bullshit or not. And I'm regrettably far enough from Gen Z that it's hard to judge how they're doing.

All we can do is to try our best within the time we're allotted.

[satvikpendem]

Recency bias. You were alive then and likely those were your formative years. If you were a Gen Z-er, you'd think that the "actual peak" were very different.

[abracadaniel]

Previously, the “good old days” were the 1950’s before it all went “downhill”. I’m sure the 1890’s were someone’s golden age before electricity ruined everything.

[satvikpendem]

There's a good skit about this: https://youtu.be/hc6VP7Qp-Y8

[mixmastamyk]

La Belle Époque… someone needs to see Midnight in Paris. ;-)

[pstuart]

Perhaps a bit earlier, in 1971 where we all could drink Coke in harmony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2msbfN81Gm0

[jj999]

For a very long time I thought the peak moment was 2001-09-11, an instant before the first plane touched the first tower.

Edit: date

[paulryanrogers]

Did you mean 2001-09-11?

[jj999]

yes.