Here is a debt clock for world debt. You can pick any country and check it out. As the environment crumbles so rises the debt. My humble opinion, stolen from others, is that we are too "modern" in that a few centuries ago debt was often forgiven approximately every 70 years or each generation - all the interest made everyone rich enough by that point. Now, too many want an incremental rise of wealth to protect from coming disasters, which, won't help as much as allowing people and countries the opportunity to rise again and make it on their own.

[economist.com]