Three Major Periods of Upheaval

We like the stability of threes. The triangle provides stability even as the world is changing. Threes thinking gives us the base from which to make “a dent in the universe.” Threes come at us often during periods of upheaval and disruption, and threes have occurred in three big cycles already. The ancient Cambrian explosion of 500 million years ago started a biologic evolution that continues today. The religious explosion of the classical period from 800 BC produced religions and philosophic beliefs that are still relevant. The third disruption, the modern industrial era, started 200 years or so ago. That dramatic period contains within it three disruptive technology sub-periods—with the inventions of the steam engine and the railroad, the combustion engine and electricity, and computer technologies and modern communications. 

From Threes, Chapter Eleven, “Threes Forever”