Can a large scale organization of humans even become sustainable?

Let's wrestle this down from a historical perspective.

Humans on this planet have never achieved long term sustainability.  Gulp. That's right, we have formed big groups... like ancient Egypt, the Inca Empire, the Edo Period and Nabatean civilizations but guess what?  They all collapsed and for different reasons.. So let's contemplate the assist we are enjoying by copious abundant feedstocks of energy and how those who came before us still managed to reach an apex without that gift and still collapsed.  What about our enormous energy overhang and billions of people with no real survivability skills? Worlds biggest correction will happen - maybe in a generation, maybe sooner if knuckle headed decisions are made. We have an insatiable focus on financial machinations as the mechanism for fixing everything.  We have not evolved.

Historians cite, environmental exploitation, overshoot, complexity and the lack of long term planning to adapt to the plethora of threats out there as the most common reasons for societal collapse.  

So when we speak of sustainable anything we are really projecting wishful thinking - just an ignorant proclamation in defiance of our history or maybe we are invoking a carefully chosen marketing trope. It sounds great to investors even if it isn't possible.  PT Barnum would be proud.

Sustainable isn't the same as survivable, or adaptable and many small, independent and geographically lucky in the world's history have been in the right place at the right time and managed to evolve.  But a planetary sustainable culture after oil?  Never has happened so perhaps the strategy of the realist should be reductionist, independent and organic in concept and execution. Small, resourceful and peaceful wouldn't hurt either.  Circular economies, purpose driven innovation and the ending of wasteful diversions of talent and energy seem like great ideas to explore.  Seems like financialization has to finally go away too - but that's just my view of things.  Think, what were successful communities doing in 1860? 

Just something to think about when the rubber finally hits the road. Sustainability is simply - a canard. It's a little bit of Edward Bernays scammery mixed in with that irresistible financialization addiction the West loves. Adaptability and survivability actually mean something.  That's where we need to focus our thoughts, and we should change (correct) the language as best as we can to focus on what is real and achievable.  How to remove waste in policy and our world while building towards adaptation of life with less cheap energy and eventually, very little energy.  There you go - your homework assignment for 2026. What can you do to reduce your energy dependence by 50%?   That would be an excellent start! What adaptations could you make, substitutions and modest lifestyle changes?  Intriguing thought isn't it?