All of the universe is a fractal. That means cyclical patterns, with repeats within the repeats. As above, so below.

As we each see in our own individual lives, we only make "progress" when we learn a more productive way to deal with the reality of the universe. Our success is directly proportional to how well our conception of the universe approximates the reality of the universe.

The universe is designed around systems, specifically feedback systems. This is the biggest limitation to human advancement, our inability to think systematically. We instead tend to think linearly, but that is not the reality we live in. Our reality is cyclical, based on feedback loops, and Hegel's dialectic attempted to describe this, although it is such a difficult subject to nail down that many misunderstand this.

The cyclical and system nature of the universe means that design dictates success. System designs that allow movement of their components and allow systems to reach their own equilibria are those that are successful. Unfortunately, many well meaning folks do not understand this, and take onto themselves and also society the sisyphean task of improving society by blocking feedback loops and preventing choices from reaching consequences. This is foolish and doomed to fail. You cannot build a stable system upon a system design where the feedback loops have been excised. That is unbalanced.

Balance means that freedom must be paired with responsibility, with the two kept directly in proportion to each other.

Along those lines, human relations have feedback loops, called voluntary cooperation. If both parties benefit, the relationship continues. If both parties don't benefit, the relationship needs to be terminated. But here's the rub -- if the relationship isn't terminated peacefully, then it eventually gets terminated through force. A healthy society is a society that understands this necessity, and allows society to balance itself through the peaceful termination of unhealthy relationships. Terminating unhealthy relationships is how each of us citizens steadily weed the garden of our society. Many well meaning, but misguided, individuals propose to improve society by terminating feedback loops and imposing top down behavioral standards on society members. But this approach is doomed to fail, because it presumes that society is a static system when in fact it is dynamic and adjusts to every change imposed upon it.

So in the end, humans will progress when we learn how to deal with the cyclical, systematic nature of reality by designing societies that depend upon this self balancing aspect of society. But, periods of decay or retrenchment are useful as well, because it is often during this period of time that society relearns what it needs to know in order to progress.

Spring and summer are wonderful. Periods of great growth. But fall and winter are useful too, because fall and winter are when weak growth and parasites are trimmed off, which prepares things for another burst of growth. Can't have one without the other ;-)