Fascinating isn't it?
As as species we have gone from boom to bust literally countless times...this time is significant though...very significant.
While I tend to abstain from the urge to say the "sky-is-falling!" ...since upon reflection apocalypses come and go for so many cultures...and come again. The true eye-opener is that the term "apocalypse" is derived from the greek denoting "to reveal that which was hidden or unknown" ...not doomsday which is a modern (laughable) context (since it may mean the eradication of human ...but I doubt all life).
I will have to remember where I saw a most interesting paper...adding a further and colder chill up the spine.
In it the paper stated the most obvious in such a way as I was even surprised I hadn't thought on it.
If/ when there is a civilizational/ sociological/ industrial/ technological/ collapse next...unless it is absolutely avoided at all cost...(which seems highly improbable)..it will mean the end of our advancement as a species ...not extinction ...more of a ..regression

...Unlike past civilizations which bounced back ..there will be no bounce back this time. Past civilizations bounced back by means of more advanced tech methods of extraction of natural resources. ...In the past... individual empire...individual civilizations came and went...most lasted much longer than the 200-400 year current one...As well other empires/ civilizations separate from another were superseded by the next...or neighbouring one...ALL past empires were not interconnected the way the current planetary civilization is... ALL empire regardless of time.. is dependant on natural resource though. The minerals and metals easily mined and extracted from the surface of the planet to pull our species from a dark age are no longer present...having been mined long ago.....Now it takes a high level of advanced technology and resource to mine what we need from many many many miles below the surface at very very remote and inhospitable places on the planet.
From a simple logistical let alone logical standpoint...
If we fall ...now...we will not be getting back up... like we used to.
That horrible new age that would follow... would make the dark ages look bright....
and we won't be coming out of it....
we won't be able to....