Is the System Breaking Down: From Sofia’s Red Star to Death Flowers?

A giant red star stolen by helicopter in Sofia. A tree blooming wildly before it dies. The voices of those left adrift after an empire collapses.In this episode, Samara explores what happens when systems — political, cultural, even symbolic — reach their breaking point. We’ll look at the absurd and tragic ways they unravel, how myths lose their power, and what emerges in the cracks.Along the way:The stolen star of Sofia Solitaire Townsend – We’re Living Through a Death Flowering Svetlana Alexievich’s Secondhand Time (NYT Review)– the human stories and fragments after the SovietcollapseJared Diamond’s Collapse (Guardian Review) & Upheaval (Guardian Review) – why some societies adapt while others failIs the system breaking down — or just blooming too hardbefore it falls? And when it does, what will we choose to plant in its place?