The Great Devaluation

17Contagion

There is a flaw that is deeply ingrained in the human condition. This “programming error” mandates mankind will continue to make the same mistakes, over and over again. This blind spot can be explained in the mathematical curve called an asymptote.

An asymptote is a curve on an X and Y axis that at some point along the curve shoots upward toward infinity. These curves are the results of unsustainable exponential growth. When the growth curve hits the asymptote, the curve becomes a straight line. As we will learn, our brains do not easily comprehend exponential growth and the crises man continues to endure are simply asymptotes that can no longer be contained.

Identifying the asymptote allows us to see the conclusion before it occurs. It is the entire foundation for the saeculum, and the explanation for why mankind is destined to make the same mistakes over and over again, every 90 years. Mankind does not recognize exponential growth as it's occurring. Our brains do not readily process abstract ideas. It is this particular human limitation that causes crises to arise, and why black swans seem to come out of nowhere.

To best understand how asymptotes apply to our lives, imagine a man who has a massive coronary on his 75th birthday. He is told by his doctor that if he has one more french fry, one more cigarette, one more drink, it could literally kill him. His heart attack wasn't caused by something he did the day before his birthday. The issue was something that had ...