These ideas are simple.
They applied to long forgotten societies and apply to current ones. We can find examples of this in our modern world.
Generalized greed is a poison to the economy. Greed is not sustainable.
The lack of humility is another poison to politics.
If one follows an idea, not because it’s good but because one previously said one was better than everyone else for it, then going back on it means admitting a mistake and that seems intolerable. The long term outcome of this rigid position is worse than what one tries to avoid in the short term.
The high concentration of power cultivates incompetence.
If the power in place does not tolerate criticism, it becomes disconnected from reality and hence the seed of incompetence inevitably grows.
In a democracy, where power is won and can be lost when facing a global problem, an incompetent leader is eventually kicked out and replaced by a less incompetent one.
Martin Pham Dinh 