Let me tell you a little story of a once great empire that existed long ago and in a land far away…or is it?

This empire consisted of an Emperor, who held the power to rule over civil and military affairs. The Senate, made up of men of character acted as the advisory counsel for the Emperor. However, the powerful, wealthy and spoilt members of the Senate inevitably became corrupt and many lived a debauched, deluded and immoral lifestyle, leading to constant antagonism of the Emperor and an inability to create laws to govern its citizens; resulting in a moral decay of society.

This decline in morals, ethics and values especially among the wealthy upper class had a devastating impact. Sexual promiscuity, including adultery, orgies, homosexuality and bestiality ran rampant. ‘Religious festivals’ were held where lewd acts would be performed openly. Widespread gambling, massive consumption of alcohol and sadistic cruelty were held in public venues.

The elite leaders that once protected the Empire became so politically corrupt that eventually they could decide who would become Emperor. At one point they held an open auction and sold ‘the throne of the world’ to the highest bidder.

Heavy military spending to support the constant wars against the barbarians led to increased taxes. The military was eventually spread too thin to defend its borders. High spending soon led to threats of government bankruptcy, even higher taxation, failing economics and out of control inflation. The currency was devalued to such a point that a barter system returned.

An invasion of ‘slave labor’ from other countries eventually led to a high unemployment rate among its citizens. This caused increased dependability, government hand-outs and subsidies. Many citizens chose to live strictly off these subsidies, sacrificing their standard of living for an idle life of ease. They divide between rich and poor grew to massive proportions.

As thousands of these idle and unemployed citizens grew bored civil unrest and rioting in the streets became common. Violence and bloodshed lost its ability to shock the spectators. Basic principles and the standards of judgement about the value of life declined. The views of what was right or wrong, good or bad grew perverted as all ethics and standards of human behavior were lost.

Many natural disasters such as fires, floods, violent storms and earthquakes took their toll and left the population looking for anyone to blame. Many different types of religions were sought out as the citizens searched for answers.

The Empire had created many enemies worldwide; some out of envy and others out of hatred. This resulted in the Empire being under constant attack from foreign armies. Eventually, these barbarians laid waste to the capitol and brought the Empire to its knees, leading to its inevitable decline.