In the 'Hollow Men,' T.S. Eliot penned these famous lines:This is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsNot with a bang but a whimperI am reminded of this poem on many an occasion, especially these days with bangs and whimpers are aplenty. Could many whimpers lead to a bang, a catastrophic version of the butterfly effect: say a fight over water on a city street that leads to a communal riot that leads to a bombing that leads to an assassination that leads to a civil war?Serious people are thinking about such scenarios, and its clear that the institutions designed to manage collective existence are inadequate for the future that awaits us.