Such systems are subject to disruption. This history of the human race has been the rise and fall of civilizations and peoples. In this century alone, well over a hundred million people have lost their lives due to causes related to war and oppression. This question is being asked with increasing frequency. We wonder about the stability of systems and how we are dependent upon them.
Complicated systems can fall to surprisingly small errors.
Just this past winter, large urban areas have experienced long power losses due to severe winter weather, especially in Canada, where some places were without power for as long as a month. All this feeds a sense that something is not quite right, even as we frantically pursue economic prosperity and a good quarterly profit figure. While it is true that the guilty flee when no man pursues, sometimes a guilty conscience can make itself known in surprising ways. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind, people are asking questions about how resilient our communities are. Perhaps most importantly, city water and sewage systems might not work.