Parentocracy says we are old already

Parentocracy is the indisputable symptom that we are growing old.

I am reminded in the papers today how Athens thriving democracy lasted as long its was able to keep the elites from becoming self serving. The first test that a society is ailing is pervasive Parentocracy.

There are no pleasant cures for Parentocracy. You can either brutally renew yourself as the Golden Eagle or more devastatingly razed to ashes for a new phoenix to rise.

A culture of self renewal helps which comes about not as a matter of the will of a society leaders but its people cultural chromosomes. We don't have that. A fierce desire for freedom is the foundation to build the habit for self renewal. As freedom is often threatened, a people desirous of freedom would adapt and fight for the right to be free. Freedom also means making sure the playing field is level, i.e., Parentocracy has no chance.

Anyway the Gold Eagle or more aptly Bald Eagle rebirth is an urban legend.

Solution: Society would in time be increasingly become anti-Parentocractic. Its elites must act beyond their narrow self interest or we will surely last fewer than 250 years by a long shot. My gut feel is that most of the elites would prefer to leave when the larger society no longer welcome their presence. Unlike the Chinese or Japanese, being a Singaporean is a matter of choice and not birth.