Yours was a non-answer, but it will have to do.
Sorry to disappoint you, but beliefs have no effect on reality. No one can see into the future. We only fool ourselves if we think we can, as the equation is too complex with too many variables and unknowns to solve for.
Our best course is to learn from the past, and the record for previous empires is not exactly stellar. Maybe we'll be an exception.
(See post #62 for an example of what I just warned about above.)