17 Demographics of People Who Might Dream of a Ruined City

1. Young Adults Experiencing Life Transitions

For young adults navigating the choppy waters of life transitions, dreaming of a ruined city can feel especially vivid and unsettling. Imagine walking through the crumbled remains of a place that once bustled with life—streets cracked, buildings toppled, and silence where there was once noise.

This dream symbol often mirrors their inner world. Young adults are at a crossroads. They are leaving behind familiar comforts—school, old friendships, childhood routines. The future is uncertain, like a city in ruins waiting to be rebuilt.

A ruined city in dreams may represent feelings of loss and confusion. It’s the breaking down of old structures in their lives. Relationships that once defined them, goals that now seem impossible, or identities they are questioning. It’s messy and chaotic, much like major life shifts can be.

But there’s more hope hidden here. The ruins are not just endings—they are also beginnings. For someone in transition, this dream can signal the clearing away of the past to make space for growth. It invites introspection: What parts of your old life must you let go? What new foundations are you ready to build?

The imagery prompts young adults to confront their fears but also to embrace transformation. It asks them to find strength amid uncertainty. Like a phoenix rising from ashes, the ruined city is a powerful metaphor for rebirth and self-discovery during pivotal times.

In short, when young adults dream of a ruined city, it’s often their mind’s way of processing the upheaval and possibility wrapped up in change. It’s a call to both mourn what was and to imagine what could be.

2. Urban Residents Facing Environmental Concerns

For urban residents grappling with environmental concerns, dreaming of a ruined city strikes a deep, unsettling chord. This symbol is far from random—it echoes their waking fears and anxieties about the world they inhabit.

Imagine the city skyline collapsing, streets swallowed by rubble, familiar landmarks crumbling into dust. Such imagery mirrors their daily confrontations with pollution, climate change, and urban decay. The ruined city in their dreams becomes a vivid metaphor for the fragility of human progress when nature fights back.

There’s a sense of loss that permeates these dreams. It’s not just about physical destruction. It’s about the breakdown of community, security, and the future they envisioned. They see a world where the vibrant pulse of urban life is stilled, overtaken by silence and ruin. This can awaken a pressing question: Is the environment’s toll on the city irreversible?

At the same time, these dreams might carry a warning. The ruined city urges introspection. What actions are being neglected? What warnings have been ignored? It’s a subconscious plea to pay attention and act before the dream becomes reality.

Yet, amid the rubble, there might also be a spark of hope. The ruins suggest a chance for renewal and rebuilding. For urban dwellers aware of environmental crises, this symbolizes not just destruction but potential transformation—a call to imagine a cleaner, greener, more resilient city.

In essence, the ruined city dream for these individuals is a mirror—reflecting their inner turmoil about environmental decline, while nudging them toward awareness and change. It’s a powerful emblem of their collective hopes and fears threaded through the concrete jungles they call home.

3. History Enthusiasts and Archaeology Lovers

For history enthusiasts and archaeology lovers, dreaming of a ruined city is far from a random fragment of the night. It’s a stirring blend of fascination and mystery, a symbol that speaks directly to their passionate curiosity about the past.

Ruined cities in dreams often evoke a deep connection to history’s layered stories. These dreamers might feel like explorers traversing time, peering into civilizations long gone and unraveling secrets buried beneath dust and rubble. The broken walls and crumbling arches aren’t just decay—they are echoes of human achievement, loss, and transformation.

The dream can awaken a sense of wonder. What caused this city’s fall? Was it war, nature’s fury, or the slow erosion of time? Such imagery stirs the investigative mind, prompting questions about the rise and fall of empires. It’s almost a call to action—encouraging the dreamer to delve deeper into historical mysteries or archaeological pursuits.

There’s also a personal resonance. For those who study history or archaeology, a ruined city might symbolize the impermanence of human endeavor. Despite all the grandeur and civilization, time reduces everything to fragments. This can be both humbling and inspiring. It reminds them why preserving history matters, and why uncovering forgotten stories is a noble quest.

Moreover, this dream may reflect the dreamer’s inner landscape. Just as a ruined city holds remnants of what once was, the dreamer might be exploring their own layers—memories, experiences, or ideas that have been “excavated” and re-examined. It’s a metaphor for growth through the ruins.

In all, the ruined city dream deeply resonates with history buffs and archaeology lovers. It’s a vivid, symbolic canvas where past and present meet, urging them to uncover what’s hidden and to appreciate the enduring human saga etched in stone and story.

4. Survivors of Trauma and Natural Disasters

Dreaming of a ruined city can evoke powerful, layered meanings, especially for survivors of trauma and natural disasters. For these individuals, such visions are rarely just random images. They speak to the deep emotional landscapes shaped by loss, upheaval, and resilience.

A ruined city in their dreams often symbolizes the fractured inner world. After experiencing trauma, the mind's foundation can feel as shattered as the crumbled buildings in the dreamscape. It’s as if the very structures once holding their sense of safety and normalcy lie in ruins. This shattered imagery reflects feelings of vulnerability and insecurity that remain long after the external danger has passed.

Yet, these dreams can also reveal something profound: the process of rebuilding. Amid the broken streets and collapsed towers, there might be subtle signs of regeneration—green shoots sprouting through the debris or distant glimmers of light. For survivors, these details can signify hope and the slow journey toward healing.

The ruined city can also trigger memories. It mirrors real places once familiar but transformed by disaster. In dreams, this can surface as a way to process grief and confront painful changes unapparent in waking life. Sometimes, the dream acts like a silent conversation with their past trauma—a space where feelings too overwhelming to express openly can emerge.

Interestingly, such dreams might ignite a sense of control or agency. Navigating through the ruins can represent a metaphorical reclaiming of lost ground. The dreamer might explore paths once blocked or find new routes through destruction, symbolizing their capacity to adapt and persevere despite hardship.

In essence, for survivors of trauma and natural disasters, the ruined city is both a reminder of what was lost and a silent testament to what can be rebuilt. It is a haunting yet hopeful symbol—an emotional terrain where devastation meets the first glimmers of recovery.

5. People Coping with Career or Financial Setbacks

For people grappling with career or financial setbacks, dreaming of a ruined city can strike a particularly powerful chord. Imagine walking through empty streets, collapsed buildings, and crumbling skyscrapers. This barren landscape vividly mirrors the emotions of loss, uncertainty, and despair often felt during tough times in one’s professional or financial life.

But what makes this symbol so compelling in this context? It’s the raw reflection of internal chaos. A ruined city in dreams speaks to shattered ambitions and broken plans. The once-thriving metropolis now lies in ruins, much like one’s shattered confidence or diminished financial stability. It can feel like your career or financial future has collapsed, leaving nothing but debris behind.

Yet, amidst the ruins, there’s an undeniable invitation: the chance to rebuild. Though the city is broken, it remains a space waiting for renewal. For those feeling stuck after a setback, this dream can stir a subconscious spark. It prompts a closer look at what foundations need mending before the next step forward. What old habits or beliefs must be cleared away? Where lies the potential to reconstruct a more resilient, informed path?

This dream can also evoke a profound introspection about identity and value beyond material success. When the ruins reflect not only external circumstances but also internal fears, it asks: who are you when stripped of your career status or financial security? It challenges the dreamer to explore deeper sources of worth and strength.

In essence, a ruined city dream is both a mirror and a map for those navigating career or financial setbacks. It acknowledges the devastation, but quietly suggests that from destruction, something new—and often stronger—can emerge. The dreamer is invited to pause, assess, and begin to build again, one brick at a time.

6. Students Dealing with Academic Pressure

Dreaming of a ruined city can feel deeply unsettling, especially for students grappling with academic pressure. Imagine walking through empty streets, crumbled buildings, and silent squares—all stark reminders of collapse and decay. For students, this imagery often reflects an internal landscape more than an external reality.

When academic demands pile up, the mind can start to feel fragmented, much like a city in ruins. Deadlines, exams, and expectations can create a sense of overwhelm. The “ruined city” in dreams may symbolize feelings of burnout or mental exhaustion. It’s as if the structures of focus, motivation, and confidence are breaking down.

Students might also see a ruined city as a reflection of lost opportunities or fear of failure. Every toppled building might represent a dream deferred or a goal seemingly out of reach. The vast emptiness could mirror feelings of isolation—like being left alone in a world crumbling beneath pressure.

Yet, there’s a hidden layer beneath the gloom. A ruined city is also a symbol of transformation. It hints at a chance to rebuild, to start fresh after destruction. For students, this can be a subconscious message that despite current struggles, renewal is possible. The rubble isn’t just an end; it’s the foundation for new growth.

This dream invites students to ask: What parts of my academic life feel unstable? Where am I carrying too much weight? And importantly—how can I begin rebuilding my sense of balance and purpose?

In essence, a ruined city dream is a powerful, emotional metaphor for the academic pressures students face—a call to acknowledge the stress and envision the process of recovery and renewal.

7. Mental Health Patients Experiencing Anxiety

For mental health patients experiencing anxiety, dreaming of a ruined city can be particularly poignant and layered with meaning. Such a dream often mirrors the inner turmoil and fractured sense of security they might be facing in waking life.

A ruined city in these dreams can symbolize a feeling of chaos and loss of control. Anxiety can make the world seem unstable and unpredictable—much like a city torn apart and abandoned. The crumbling buildings and empty streets can reflect the dreamer’s experience of their own thoughts and emotions falling apart or being overwhelmed.

There is often a sense of isolation in these dreams, too. Wandering through deserted, damaged places mirrors feelings of loneliness or disconnection from others. The mental landscape feels broken, echoing the fragmentation anxiety brings to relationships and self-perception.

Interestingly, the ruined city may also represent fear of the future. For those battling anxiety, the unknown can be frightening. A city in ruins suggests a world that has been disrupted—perhaps a metaphor for anticipated personal crisis or ongoing mental struggles. The dream might be urging the individual to confront these fears, even if it feels daunting.

Yet, within the rubble, there can also be subtle hints of resilience or the possibility of rebuilding. Sometimes anxiety patients dreaming of devastation might, deep down, be expressing a readiness to face difficult emotions and start healing. The ruined city becomes not just a place of destruction, but a silent call for renewal.

In sum, for those with anxiety, a ruined city dream is much more than just an eerie image. It captures the emotional landscape of vulnerability, fear, isolation, and sometimes hope. It invites us to explore what has fallen apart inside and what might be waiting to rise again.

8. Creative Professionals and Artists

For creative professionals and artists, dreaming of a ruined city often carries layers of profound meaning. This vision isn’t just about decay or loss—it’s a complex tableau bursting with symbolic potential.

Imagine standing amid crumbled walls and empty streets. To a creative mind, this might mirror the tumultuous process of creation itself. The ruins represent not just destruction, but the remnants of old ideas, discarded projects, or failed attempts. They whisper of past creativity, now fragmented. Yet, within those fragments lies fertile ground for new visions.

A ruined city in a dream can feel like a blank canvas covered in cracks. It asks: What can rise from the rubble? For artists, this question sparks curiosity and innovation. It challenges them to reconstruct meaning, to find beauty in imperfection and chaos.

This dream may also reflect internal states. Perhaps it mirrors moments of self-doubt or creative blocks—times when inspiration seems to crumble, and confidence wanes. But the ruins are not a symbol of hopelessness. Instead, they suggest a space for transformation. Out of the city’s collapse, new paths emerge.

In essence, a dream about a ruined city calls creative professionals to explore renewal and resilience. It’s both a warning and an invitation: to let go of outdated concepts and rebuild from the fragments with fresh energy. The dream sparks a mental excavation—digging through decay to uncover priceless gems of creativity.

For artists, this symbolic dream scene can ignite a powerful dialogue between destruction and creation, urging them to embrace the cycle of breaking down and building up. It’s a vivid reminder that even in ruin, there is the potential for extraordinary art and innovation.

9. Spiritual Seekers and Dream Interpretation Enthusiasts

For spiritual seekers and dream interpretation enthusiasts, dreaming of a ruined city is far from just a passing image. It is a profound symbol ripe with meaning. Such dreams often stir curiosity and invite deep reflection.

A ruined city in a dream can mirror the inner landscape of the dreamer’s spiritual journey. It might represent a phase where old beliefs, outdated values, or rigid structures are breaking down. This destruction is not necessarily negative. Instead, it signals a powerful process of transformation and renewal.

Spiritual seekers might see the ruined city as an invitation. It calls on them to examine what no longer serves their growth. It challenges them to confront spiritual “debris”—old fears, limiting thoughts, or disillusionments. In this space of collapse, there is a chance to rebuild with greater wisdom and authenticity.

For those intrigued by dream symbolism, a ruined city speaks to the cyclical nature of life. Cities, once vibrant, become deserted and decayed. This mirrors how spiritual phases rise and fall. It’s a reminder that endings open doors to new beginnings.

Moreover, this symbol can evoke a sense of mystery and awe. What treasures lie buried beneath the ruins? What hidden truths are waiting to be uncovered? Dreamers are encouraged to explore these questions thoughtfully.

In essence, the ruined city is a powerful metaphor. It embodies destruction and hope, loss and potential. For spiritual seekers and dream interpretation enthusiasts, it is a sacred signpost on the path of inner discovery. It prompts a pause, a look inward, and a readiness to rebuild stronger than before.

10. Military Veterans and Conflict Survivors

For military veterans and conflict survivors, dreaming of a ruined city carries a weight that goes beyond common symbolism. This image often echoes the landscapes they have physically seen or emotionally felt—places torn apart by war, chaos, and loss. But why does this vision haunt their sleeping minds?

A ruined city can symbolize the fractured state of their internal world. The external devastation mirrors their inner battles—memories of destruction, loss, and shattered hopes. Each crumbling building, each deserted street, might represent a piece of their past that feels irreparably broken.

Yet, these dreams are not just about despair. They provoke reflection. The ruined city might prompt questions about survival and resilience. How does one navigate a landscape filled with ruins? What parts of themselves remain intact amidst the wreckage? For these dreamers, the city is both a battlefield and a canvas—full of scars but also potential for rebuilding.

Often, this dream reveals the lingering trauma that hides beneath their strong exterior. The destroyed cityscape serves as an unconscious reminder of battles fought both outside and within. It can highlight unresolved emotions or flashbacks—moments when safety once shattered, and uncertainty took hold.

But there’s more. Seeing a ruined city could also suggest a search for peace or closure. It invites these veterans and survivors to confront the ruins, piece by piece, and begin to envision a future beyond the rubble. It's a silent call to rebuild, not just the physical ruins of a war-torn place, but the emotional and psychological landscapes scorched by conflict.

In this sense, the dream isn’t merely about what was lost, but what might still be reclaimed.

What does the ruined city ask of them?
Can they find hope amid the decay?
It’s a haunting, powerful symbol—one that challenges military veterans and conflict survivors to explore the depths of their trauma and the possibilities of healing.

11. Elderly Individuals Reflecting on Life Changes

For elderly individuals reflecting on life changes, dreaming of a ruined city can carry profound significance. It may feel like looking into the aftermath of a place once vibrant but now faded. This vision often mirrors their own journey through time—once bustling years now quieted by age and experience.

A ruined city in their dream might symbolize the inevitable transformations that come with aging. Buildings crumbling and streets deserted can represent the fading past, the lost opportunities, or the dismantling of old routines. It’s a vivid metaphor for what has changed or been left behind.

But there’s more to this dream than sadness. For many elderly dreamers, the ruined city also invites contemplation. It asks: What remains after the upheaval? Amid the rubble, there are still foundations—symbols of resilience and memories that persist despite time’s erosion.

This dream can spark deep reflection on life’s impermanence and the value of what endures. It nudges the dreamer to consider how they rebuild meaning now, with fewer external distractions but richer inner wisdom.

So, when an elderly individual dreams of a ruined city, it’s not just a symbol of loss. It’s an invitation to explore change, acceptance, and renewal at life’s twilight. It asks, quietly but insistently: What are you ready to let go of? And what will you choose to hold on to as your personal legacy?

12. Gamers and Fans of Post-Apocalyptic Media

For gamers and fans of post-apocalyptic media, dreaming of a ruined city is far from a random image. It taps into a unique blend of fascination and subconscious storytelling. These dreamers are deeply familiar with worlds where civilization has crumbled—whether through a viral outbreak, nuclear fallout, or environmental collapse.

In these dreams, the ruined city often feels vivid and detailed. It's a sprawling maze of broken buildings, twisted metal, and silent streets. For gamers, it might echo the maps of favorite survival games. For post-apocalyptic media fans, it resonates with scenes from films or novels they've immersed themselves in.

But what makes this symbol so compelling?

First, a ruined city in dreams reflects a complex emotional landscape. It suggests a confrontation with chaos and uncertainty, themes heavily explored in their entertainment choices. It’s as if the brain replays the tension and thrill of navigating a collapsed society.

Second, it can symbolize resilience. Amid destruction, these dreamers may find signs of life—plants growing through cracks or survivors moving cautiously. This hints at hope and adaptability, echoing the narratives they cherish, where characters rebuild and redefine existence.

Third, the dream taps into a fascination with survival and strategy. Gamers especially recognize these ruins as arenas for exploration and challenge, mirroring their real-world skills. Dreaming of such places might reveal a mental rehearsal—preparing for unpredictable situations or testing problem-solving instincts.

Finally, these dreams can serve as a mirror for personal feelings of instability or change. The ruined city becomes a metaphor for parts of their own world or psyche that feel broken or in flux. It invites them to confront fears and imagine new possibilities emerging from the wreckage.

In short, for this demographic, the ruined city is not just a bleak scene. It is a playground of imagination, a canvas of emotion, and an emblem of endurance. It embodies both the fragility and the fierce spirit that define the worlds they explore nightly—whether on screen or in their dreams.

13. Immigrants and Refugees Facing Uncertainty

For immigrants and refugees facing uncertainty, dreaming of a ruined city carries a profound and layered meaning. It’s not merely an image of decay or destruction. Instead, it often mirrors the internal chaos and instability they grapple with daily.

Imagine arriving in a new land, where everything feels unfamiliar, broken, or fragmented. The ruined city in a dream can symbolize that overwhelming sense of loss. Loss of home, identity, and a once-familiar world. It may reflect the ruins of a past life left behind, scattered hopes, or shattered expectations.

But there’s more beneath the surface.

A ruined city is a place once alive, vibrant, and full of promise. Its current state of ruin can speak to the emotional exhaustion immigrants and refugees feel. The city’s crumbling walls echo their fears — fear of rejection, economic hardship, or an uncertain future.

Yet ruins also hint at the possibility of rebuilding.

This symbol can be a subconscious call to resilience and renewal. Just as a ruined city holds the bones of something that came before, so too does their new life hold potential beneath the rubble. It’s a powerful contemplation on transformation. The dream challenges them to face uncertainty while holding onto hope.

Could the ruined city be urging them to acknowledge pain but also to envision rebirth? To recognize what has been lost, but also what can be rebuilt?

Such dreams invite a mix of sorrow, reflection, and quiet strength. For immigrants and refugees, the ruined city is more than a symbol — it’s a vivid echo of their journey through loss, survival, and the search for belonging in a world that often feels fragmented and uncertain.

14. Environmental Activists and Climate Change Advocates

For environmental activists and climate change advocates, dreaming of a ruined city carries a powerful, almost haunting symbolism. It’s not just a landscape of destruction—they see it as a vivid reflection of their deepest fears and urgent concerns.

A ruined city in their dreamscape often mirrors the consequences of neglecting nature. It’s a stark warning. The crumbling buildings and deserted streets aren’t just ruins—they represent ecosystems collapsing, biodiversity lost, and communities displaced by rising seas or wildfires.

But why does this symbol strike such a chord? Because these dreamers live at the frontline of climate anxiety. Every ruined structure echoes the tangible impacts they witness in real life. It questions: what happens if society continues on its current path? What future awaits if the environment is ignored?

The dream invites reflection. Is this desolation inevitable? Or can their efforts still rebuild hope and resilience? In these dreams, a ruined city is both a reminder of past failures and a call to action. It’s an urgent message to confront environmental degradation before the ruins become reality.

For these advocates, such dreams can fuel determination. They stir an emotional response — a mix of grief, urgency, and sometimes, an unyielding resolve to protect the planet. The ruined city becomes more than a symbol of despair; it transforms into a powerful motivator to fight for restoration and renewal.

In essence, for this demographic, dreaming of a ruined city is not a mere nightmare. It is a vivid, symbolic canvas painted with their worries and hopes about the Earth’s future. It dares them to imagine what will be lost—and what might still be saved.

15. Urban Planners and Architecture Students

For urban planners and architecture students, dreaming of a ruined city can be a surprisingly rich and layered symbol. It taps into their professional anxieties and aspirations in ways that are both personal and intellectual.

At first glance, a ruined city might evoke feelings of loss or failure. After all, these are individuals who dedicate themselves to building, designing, and preserving urban spaces. The sight of crumbled buildings and deserted streets could mirror fears about professional setbacks or concerns about the sustainability of their work. It’s as if the dream asks: What happens if all the careful planning collapses?

But the symbol doesn’t stop at destruction. For these dreamers, a ruined city can also represent opportunity. Think about it. Ruins invite reimagining. They are raw, unfinished canvases. To urban planners and architecture students, such imagery might trigger creative instincts—how to rebuild smarter, greener, or more resilient cities? It could be a subconscious call toward innovation rather than despair.

There’s also an element of historical reflection. Ruins speak to the passage of time, the rise and fall of civilizations. For architecture students, this could be a meditation on the impermanence of human creations. It might prompt questions: What legacy will today’s structures leave behind? Or How do we balance preservation with progress?

Moreover, the dream could reveal tensions these professionals face daily. They juggle ideals versus real-world constraints. A ruined city in a dream might embody conflicts between visionary designs and bureaucratic obstacles, economic limitations, or environmental challenges.

Finally, the emotional texture of such dreams can be quite complex. Awe, melancholy, curiosity, and hope might intermingle. The ruined city is not just an end—it’s also a beginning. For urban planners and architecture students, it’s a powerful symbol of their role as both caretakers and creators of the urban future.

16. People Experiencing Relationship Breakdowns

For those navigating the stormy waters of relationship breakdowns, dreaming of a ruined city can feel hauntingly familiar. But what might this unsettling image really mean?

A ruined city, in the midst of decay and collapse, mirrors the emotional wreckage many feel inside when relationships falter. Streets once bustling with life now lie empty and shattered—much like the hopes and dreams once shared between partners. This dream reflects a sense of loss and disillusionment, highlighting the destruction of what once felt stable and secure.

Yet, the ruined city is not just about devastation. It whispers about vulnerability and the raw aftermath of emotional upheaval. When a relationship crumbles, the mind may project that chaos outwardly, creating a visual metaphor for internal turmoil. Every broken building could symbolize fractured trust. Every fallen pillar might represent a broken promise.

But there’s more beneath the surface. A ruined city isn’t just an end—it can also signal a profound opportunity for rebirth. Amidst the ruins, there lies the potential to rebuild and reimagine one’s life and relationships. For someone wrestling with the pain of separation, this dream can be a subconscious call to start fresh, to find strength amid the ruins, and to hope for renewal.

So, when people experiencing relationship breakdowns dream of ruined cities, they are not just confronted with loss. They are also offered a subtle invitation: to acknowledge their pain, to process the collapse, and, eventually, to begin the slow work of healing and reconstruction.

17. Fans of Dystopian Literature and Film

For fans of dystopian literature and film, dreaming of a ruined city taps into a deeply familiar and evocative symbol. These dreamers are already immersed in worlds where civilization often teeters on the edge of collapse. So, when a ruined city appears in their dreams, it resonates on multiple levels.

First, the ruined city is not just a backdrop—it’s almost a character itself. It embodies decay, loss, and the haunting aftereffects of cataclysm. For these dreamers, it might trigger vivid recollections of their favorite dystopian narratives: crumbling skyscrapers, empty streets, fractured societies. Their minds naturally fill in the gaps with stories of survival, resistance, and existential dread.

But what does such a dream mean personally? Often, it symbolizes inner turmoil or a sense of isolation mirrored by the desolation of the urban landscape. It can reflect feelings of disintegration within their own lives—relationships falling apart, ambitions crumbling, or a loss of control over their environment.

There’s also an undercurrent of warning or contemplation. Dystopian fan dreamers might interpret a ruined city as a metaphorical prophecy. A vivid reminder of what happens when humanity’s flaws—greed, neglect, authoritarianism—are left unchecked. The dream questions: What structures in their own world or psyche are unstable? What needs rebuilding before total collapse?

Interestingly, these dreams often stir a complex emotional cocktail. There’s fear, yes. But also fascination. A strange beauty in destruction. The ruined city is both an end and a beginning, a place of death yet possibility. It invites these dreamers to explore resilience amidst ruin. To imagine what rises from the ashes.

In essence, a ruined city dream for fans of dystopian tales is a powerful symbol loaded with personal and cultural meaning. It’s a canvas where anxieties and hopes converge, challenging them to reflect on both their inner worlds and the fragile societies they so vividly imagine.