Empires are run a bit differently now. Official colonialism is dead, not being politically acceptable anymore. But economic colonialism is alive and flourishing. Present day empires are run by banks, corporations, marketing men, and media conglomerates. Money moves freely around the world electronically, and most of it is in the control of a small number of huge commercial and banking entities. Backing up that money and marketing machine are the largest military forces in the world, nuclear weaponry, biological weaponry, space weaponry, the CIA, professional hit men and torturers, paramilitary death squads, bought judges, bought politicians, and bought governments in Third World countries.

If you happen to get in the way, you get run over like an ant.

The best you can hope for is that you don't happen to get in the way.

If you lack conscience...or just lack full awareness of what you're actually doing...you can get a job working for the empire as a cog in its machine. If so, you will probably be more or less allright as long as your health holds up...and you don't get in the way.

But it all depends on how you look at it. Every empire has its enthusiastic followers and loyal soldiers. Britain did. Rome did. Germany and Japan did. America does. China does.

Just don't get in the way.