The Pyramid of Hierarchy

After the discussion on the way that the pyramid of hierarchy works, i found myself agreeing with what molly had briefly mentioned, or rather said, asked during that discussion. What happens when the two bases are cut off? This was asked in relation to another question as to how the pyramid connected with what had happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had hit. The discussion led to talking about the way in which the culture was still intact even after people were struggling with the basic necessities like food and water, and soon after, safety. This got me thinking, if the bases of the pyramid of hierarchy are basically chopped off and taken completely out of the picture, how long is it before we can see significant damage in the structure of the societies/communities affected? I think maybe a few ways of seeing this is when chaos breaks out. To me, chaos is caused by the sudden removal of something found or thought of as necessary to a group of people. When some people get chaotic, it spreads. Fast. The speed in which it spreads also determines the amount of damage the community/society will suffer because it has less time to try to build it's bases up again.

This subject of quick recovery after a tragedy is essentially what every government nowadays aims at after a disaster hits. But I think it's like the idea of Janga, the pyramid can have many holes in it and still be there, but it is no longer strong and at any moment, a change of balance can knock it all down. I think this was what molly was trying to explain.  Now, when a country is in need, and it’s bases are destroyed, other countries help create a temporary hold, they do this by sending in resources. Receiving resources is not the same as getting them your self, at some point, you have to find a way to provide for yourself, and this is what helps us maintain the pyramid without our whole civilization collapsing. But even with all this thinking, I’m still unsure, Is it possible for a civilization to survive without the two base levels, not necessarily long term but for a substantial amount of time?