History moves toward unity through myths of money, empire, and faith

Imagine a spy satellite orbiting above Earth for 5,000 years. In 3000 BC, it would have seen thousands of tiny kingdoms, clans, and tribes—Numantia, the Shang, Göbekli-built villages—entire human worlds unaware of one another. Flash forward to 1450 AD, when the satellite picks out just five major spheres: Afro-Asia with its rich trade routes, the Aztec realm in Central America, the Inca domain in the Andes, island chains in Oceania, and Tasmania’s lone tribes.

Over the next three centuries, Afro-Asia’s empires, merchants, and missionaries rolled out a triple-helix narrative—money backed by gold, empires promising universal protection, and faiths preaching global salvation. Columbus’ gold-hungry captains, Protestant pastors with Bible in hand, and Ottoman viziers with coin and law codex were all speaking versions of the same unifying gospel. In 1800, the satellite would register a single human world—money, law, and religion blurring every former border.

Science calls this the Long Movement toward unity, driven by three pillars: a universal medium of exchange, a universal mandate to rule, and universal religions. Though awash with violence and conquest, this process also wove distant cultures into a single tapestry. Today’s global pandemic, worldwide social networks, and unified environmental crises are products of these same forces. Understanding that gives us a bird’s-eye view: unity is history’s arrow, and now we can bend that arrow with foresight and purpose.

Tonight, pick one of your group’s myths—money, mission, or moral cause—and ask: “How might this resonate with strangers we’ve never met?” Draft a simple “invitation myth” that extends your circle—perhaps a two-sentence story of how your team’s mission benefits outside neighbourhoods. Share it, and watch your own micro-empire grow.