Cult of Continuity

Past: The Fall of the Machine Temples

In the golden age of ancient Egypt, the machine temples were marvels of engineering and spiritual reverence. These monumental structures were not merely places of worship but hubs of advanced electrotechnology. They harnessed natural resources—crystalline arrays, magnetics, and solar alignment—to generate light, energy, and even rudimentary forms of data transmission. Their existence was the backbone of a global empire that spanned continents, connecting civilizations through a shared web of technological advancement and cultural exchange.

However, as with all advancements, opposition arose. A growing sect—rooted in fear, ideology, and mistrust of this “unnatural power”—gained influence. The cult viewed the machine temples as an affront to divine will, claiming they usurped the natural order. Through subterfuge and sabotage, they infiltrated the temple networks. By corrupting the energy conduits and destabilizing the crystalline cores, the cult caused catastrophic failures that rippled through the empire.

The result was apocalyptic. Entire cities plunged into darkness, their economies and infrastructures collapsing overnight. The ensuing wars, fought with the remnants of the advanced technology, were brutal and swift. In less than a generation, the global empire fractured, and humanity was thrust back into the Bronze Age, the knowledge of electrotech buried beneath centuries of chaos and survivalism.

Present: A Fragile Empire Built on Destruction

In our era, humanity has clawed its way back to global dominance through rediscovered electrotech. Yet this resurgence is built on an uneasy foundation—an empire fueled not by harmony with nature but by its exploitation. Forests are razed for energy, oceans polluted for resources, and the planet itself groans under the weight of industrial excess. Our electric grids hum with the energy of consumption, not balance.

Amid this progress, the whispers of a familiar danger have emerged. A modern cult has grown in influence, espousing a doctrine of returning humanity to a “pure state” by dismantling the systems of progress they view as corrupt. Unlike their ancient counterparts, this cult thrives on the very technologies they denounce. They weaponize the internet to spread their creed, destabilizing governments and corporations. Cyberattacks on power grids and data networks have become commonplace, and while dismissed as isolated incidents, their frequency hints at a larger, coordinated effort.

Society remains blind to the looming threat, caught in the inertia of progress. But the signs are unmistakable to those who remember history’s lessons. The cult’s ultimate goal is clear: to end this global empire as they ended the last, plunging humanity into a new dark age.

Future: A Return to the Stone Age

The collapse, when it comes, is swift. Coordinated strikes by the cult on the world’s critical infrastructures—energy grids, water supplies, and communications—render billions powerless in days. Cities, reliant on just-in-time logistics and automated systems, crumble as food and medicine become inaccessible. Governments fail to respond effectively, their command structures severed by cyberwarfare.

With no means to sustain modern civilization, society fractures into isolated communities. Over the years, the remnants of humanity adapt to a life without electrotech, rediscovering ancient methods of survival. The cult, having achieved its apocalyptic vision, becomes a fractured entity itself, consumed by infighting over its doctrine.

But history is cyclical. In scattered enclaves, fragments of the old knowledge persist—stories of the machine temples, faded blueprints, and cryptic texts that hint at a lost age of light. As generations pass, new thinkers emerge, driven by curiosity and necessity. They sift through the ruins of the fallen empire, piecing together the fragments of forgotten technology.

Humanity, ever resilient, begins the slow climb once again.

Appendix: Reference Resources

• Ancient Egyptian Engineering:

• Studies on Egyptian use of materials like basalt, granite, and quartz for construction and potential energy storage properties.

• Theories on ancient technologies (e.g., Christopher Dunn’s The Giza Power Plant).

• Collapse of Civilizations:

• Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

• Historical accounts of the Bronze Age collapse and its parallels.

• Modern Technological Dependency:

• The Grid by Gretchen Bakke for insights into the fragility of electrical infrastructure.

• Studies on environmental degradation linked to industrial practices.

• Cybersecurity Threats:

• Current data on cyberattacks on energy grids (e.g., Stuxnet, Colonial Pipeline hack).

• Reports from cybersecurity firms like Kaspersky or CrowdStrike.

• Resilience and Adaptation:

• Research on community survival during disasters (e.g., The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley).

• Anthropological studies on human innovation post-collapse.