Summary: The fact is that, despite what we feel and despite how we believe things are, the world, we, and the future are in much better shape than it seems. The only problem: hardly anyone believes this.
Original author and publication date: Jeroen Kraaijenbrink – January 5, 2020
Futurizonte Editor’s Note: The illusory future may be gone. The real future, the new future, is still there
From the article:
The future is bright? Hard to believe perhaps, especially since we are still in the middle of the worst recession ever and face a global pandemic that just doesn’t want to stop. But the fact is that, despite what we feel and despite how we believe things are, the world, we, and the future are in much better shape than it seems. The only problem: hardly anyone believes this because it sounds to good to be true. But true it is.
Of course there are problems, and they are major. There is the Covid-19 pandemic, there is climate change, there is inequality, there is global unrest, and so on. However, historically, we live in the best time ever—despite the problems. And what is more, things are not getting worse, they are getting better.
The evidence is overwhelming. It is not just one study or a handful of studies showing this. It is hundreds, or even thousands of studies providing fact after fact showing how well things are going. And they don’t just show that the world is doing well and getting better. They also show that we, as human species are doing well. As it turns out, we aren’t quite the selfish profit-maximizing “homo economicus” that our self-fulling theories and management tools assume. We are much more social and kinder than that. We care. And that gives all reason to be hopeful and optimistic about the future.
The results of these numerous studies have been put together in five masterful, hopeful books that everyone on this planet should read. They are already bestsellers, and they are praised by some of the world’s most influential persons, including Barack Obama and Bill Gates. Individually, they are convincing in and of themselves. But together, they tell a truly important story that corrects much of what we believe and gives all reason to be optimistic.
