War is the fastest way forward. The funding of war machines comes from a desire for possessions. A fear of being weak. This will always take precedence in the minds of politicians and aristocrats over any other concerns. Stop investing intellectual capital into dreams and ambitions, and we will continue to stagnate. Stop investing intellectual capital in the military and bureaucracy and we must actually have a healthy dialogue and interplay with the rest of the world.

I grew up in the DCon capital of the world, friend. I have heard every iteration of the jingoist "spend or die" speech. I am fed, clothed, and housed by tax dollars spent on "expanding capability" and "maintaining status quo". It is not about security and freedom, it is about securing profits and freeing untapped investment. Do you think that DCon is somehow different than SV? Small groups of whip smart young people using the lost ideas of an older generation to carve out a slice of an expanding market. Information Technology and War Technology are two facets of the same gem.

Your original premise may be accurate, but i do not believe it is correct. The path you take effects the place you go in many ways, and not all of them are obvious or even observable at the moment of choosing.