Last year I stopped working on a book project that, in short, was killing me. The idea was a guide to managing the coming crisis based on the Strauss-Howe generational theory as described in their book "The Fourth Turning." The theory is simple - almost simplistic. It says that history moves in cycles of about 85 years. The first part of that cycle is called the High, in which a culture - usually Western - creates organizations and institutions to bring the culture back into stasis. The second turning is the Awakening, which is a religious or spiritual revival that brings soul back into the culture - think Woodstock coming after the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. The next turning is the Unraveling, in which the work of the first turning is undone and the hippies put on suits again and destroy the world.

And then comes the Crisis. That’s when everything fails, all of the societal norms we’re used to collapse, and systems self-destruct. Everything, from the familial unit to the global economy to our environment is scrambled.

Think of it like clockwork - every four generations or so, we hit a major crisis, recover, and then slowly descend into chaos again.

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The theory suggests each generation plays a specific role in this cycle. One generation builds strong institutions during recovery periods. Their kids rebel against those institutions. Their grandkids question everything. And then their great-grandkids face another massive crisis - think Civil War, Great Depression, or the 2008 meltdown. In fact, Howe suggests that 2008 wasn't even the Crisis we've been waiting for and that we're still living in the Crisis stage.

Each crisis leads to a "High" - a time when society pulls together and rebuilds. The institutions get stronger, people work together, everything seems great. Then the whole thing starts falling apart again as newer generations push for individual rights over community needs.

Looking at American history through this lens makes for a fascinating and depressing time. And I think we are smack dab in the middle of a major Crisis that will have catastrophic yet potentially transformative consequences...