We blew it — now what?
Let’s face it: our establishment blew it. Somewhere along the way, the people steering the ship lost the map. And while we haven’t exactly hit the iceberg yet, the ice is definitely in sight.
Sure, Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature makes a compelling case that the world is better today than it was 50, 100, or 200 years ago. Fewer wars, lower crime, longer lives. And yet... doesn’t it feel like something is off? Like we’re living in a society that’s technically thriving, but spiritually disoriented?
Technology, with all its wonders, has turned us into a hive — efficient, interconnected, buzzing with information. But every global ache is now delivered straight to our devices: tweets, videos, messages, breaking news alerts. It's relentless. And despite this hyper-awareness, we don't seem to be learning much from it.
Yuval Noah Harari once wrote that civilization is built on communication — and that education is the bedrock of democracy. A society of uneducated citizens with the power to vote is like a bus full of toddlers at the wheel. Vulnerable to manipulation, seduced by black-and-white thinking.
And here’s the rub: social media, for all its promises of connection and democratization, seems to be making us... dumber. Or maybe just less attentive. In its race for our focus, it simplifies everything — boiling down nuanced ideas into bite-sized, clickable morsels. The world becomes a series of slogans, memes, hot takes.
We’re losing the muscle to hold complex, multi-layered thoughts in our heads. We swipe through issues that should take days to unpack. Worse still, we’re retreating into bubbles that reinforce our beliefs and radicalize our views. As a parent, it's hard not to notice how much this affects the younger generation — especially post-pandemic. Many of them are growing up immersed in a culture of instant takes and simplified narratives. Critical thinking is becoming a rare skill, right when we need it most — especially with AI around the corner.
So yes, back to the point: our global establishment failed to prepare us for this new world. The pandemic didn’t help, of course. But instead of reinforcing the structure, it exposed the cracks. And it’s the youngest among us who are paying the price. Education systems are thinning out. In some places, kids aren’t even required to read literature anymore. Math levels have dropped dramatically. We’re under-arming a generation that will soon be steering the world.
Meanwhile, alarming events keep surfacing. A few weeks ago in Poland, a horrific act of violence by a young person was not only committed, but shared and circulated online by countless others. A murder. On video. Spread like wildfire, as if it were just another TikTok challenge.
This is where we are. A society that desperately needs deep, systemic reform — but keeps dancing on the surface.
And yet... we know where to begin. With education. But not simplified education. Not “let’s make it easier” education. We need to teach more — and better. We need literature that expands perspective. Media that doesn’t just entertain, but invites us to feel what it's like to be someone else. What it’s like to be gay. To be a person of color. To be a minority of any kind. To be unheard, unseen, dismissed.
We're a global hive now — like it or not — and if all we can manage is scrolling endlessly through TikTok, then we’re not ready for the future that’s rushing toward us.
At times like these, I think about the Fermi paradox: if the universe is so vast and full of possibilities, where is everybody? One answer might be that civilizations tend to self-destruct before they get very far.
That thought lingers.
If we don’t act — if we don’t rebuild our systems from the ground up, starting with real education, attention regulation, civic empathy — we could be speeding straight toward our own implosion.
And maybe we also need to return to listening. Not just to one another, but to the few global voices still anchored in long-term thinking. People like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Mandela, Al Gore, the late Gandhi. The Elders. Many are gone now, but their idea lives on: that we must seek counsel beyond nations, beyond short-term politics. That global problems need global wisdom. That we must cultivate a new kind of sensitivity — one that isn't bound by borders.
Because the next chapter in our story won't be written by algorithms or slogans. It’ll be written by those who still know how to think, reflect, and feel.
Let’s make sure our kids can.