Civilizations (and by that I mean societies with a strong tendency towards central control) are, unfortunately, just very big cults.

And when they end, just like when a cult ends, the cult may be gone, but the cultists remain.

They don't "awaken" and are now no longer cultists. Instead, they join a variety of new small cults, usually fighting each other.

Almost none of them will even consider the possibility of organizing in a non-cultish way (freedom).

Having fallen for one cult doesn't prevent people from falling for another one. On the contrary. The very psychological issues that drove them into the first cult will also drive them into the next one. And every time they will be absolutely convinced that they have become a part of the chosen ones who possess the truth.

It's easier to take a person out of a cult than to take the cult out of a person.