A machine is a non living thing, so the irony revisits itself.
You look at the idle nobles, the peasant numbers, and the elder council bureaucracy as SA. Those mechanics helped, but it was the social interactions that mattered. There was a lack of real dialogue in SA. Except for when someone did something bad, then everyone wanted to do something all of a sudden.
A living thing may die, but its mark and its offspring continue on. Rather than rage-quit because an infinite growth paradigm is impossible, start interacting with people. Hell, you might enjoy a smaller, more fundamentalist SA. Easier to find like-minded people, and less likely to expose yourself to people who piss you off.
Then again, if SA was really the only thing keeping you on, then you may want to step away. If you've lost interest in the game as a whole, but feel invested in SA, then it sounds like it feels like an obligation rather than a fun game. Sometimes you need a break.
