"Bread and circuses." What was the principal cause for the fall of the great Roman Empire?
I agree with Augustine that the most deadly of the seven deadly sins is apathy. As long as the people had their food and entertainment, they became lulled into apathy.
"Bread and circuses," it came to be called. Today, it is big-screen TVs and nice cars. That is our version of bread and circuses.
What lies within this context? Every great civilization decays because it has forgotten its beginnings, where it came from.