Signs of Hope For Our Sometimes Bewildering Age
Perhaps the Best Is Yet to Come
We are living in precarious times. But on the same hand, these are also times of great hope and promise.
In the jittery month of June, former president of the United States Donald Trump was indicted for a second time. This time it was on federal charges. Many supporters have gathered around en masse, labeling the case as a “political witch hunt” (even though the indictment was brought about by a non-political special counsel and jury of Trump’s peers).
As U.S. news stations zoomed in on Trump’s private jet flying high and crazed crowds amassed in front of the federal buildings, even less attention was given to the horrific events happening around the world. These include an ongoing war in Ukraine and other brutal conflicts in different countries. Additionally, more catastrophic natural events happening all over the place remind us that climate change is now here. Recently in June, countless dead fish washed up on the Gulf shores of Texas, caused in great part by increasing temperatures. Meanwhile, devastating wildfires in Canada brought billowing blankets of smoke to the Northeast U.S.(especially the New York City and DC areas). At least this was beginning to clear up for the short-term. With all of these unthinkable events, it would be easy for one to stick their head in the sand or crawl into a cave and hide.
But in such trying times, many will say to keep your head up. Far from some of the worst times to live, perhaps we are living in some of the most remarkable of times. And the best could be yet to come. Let’s take a look at some reasons why we should be approaching our days in mid-year 2023 with optimism and hope in spite of distressing and overwhelming world events.
Hope For Combatting Climate Change and Other Catastrophic Threats
Climate change is here, that is a given. Plus we are inching closer and closer to a breaking point of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming(with 2 degrees not far behind that). While many of the top climate scientists echoed Joeri Rogelj’s point that “not everything is lost” after 1.5 degrees Celsius, the concern is that the further we get past that 1.5 C mark the more devastating the impacts will be. It is misleading to say that civilization will collapse, as Michael Shellenberger and others have mentioned, but warming will risk life as we know for everyone to some degree. Imagine if cities like New York are in a blanket of wildfire smoke twice as often as these recent times or if hundreds of millions of people face risk of increased coastal flooding due to rising sea levels and harsher storms. Not a pretty picture, and we are hardly scratching the surface of some of the worst effects of climate change.
But there is great hope for combatting the climate crisis. Awareness and concern are increasing around the globe, while renewable energies and other carbon neutral solutions are on the rise. While no countries have made sufficient progress to lower emissions to the 1.5 degrees C point, many countries are on track to become netzero by 2050 or are pushing the needle in that direction. Also, initiatives like Project Drawdown offer hope that climate change can even be reversed if numerous solutions are enacted over 30 years. These solutions would include added trillions of dollars to the global economy and a more sustainable future for humanity over milliennia.
Meanwhile, there is also profound hope for other global problems. Organizations are tackling seemingly insurmountable problems head on. For example, Dutch nonprofit Ocean Cleanup has recently removed 220,000 pounds of plastic from one of the ocean’s largest patches(with goals to help the world to remove 90% in the long-term). 190 nations in the world recently signed a treaty to protect a larger portion of the Earth’s oceans. Meanwhile, nearly 15% of Earth’s terrestrial land is now protected, 80% more than in 1990. These are profound triumphs in a world where mass extinctions and climate change pose profound threats to much of life on Earth(for which the UN has reported). Indeed, much more needs to be done to protect and conserve more of Earth’s land, waterways, and oceans to help ensure wildlife can thrive alongside humans. But the situation is far from hopeless. With more awareness and initiative driving governments, non-profit organizations, and billions around the world to make changes, humanity can indeed combat and overcome these crises.
Combatting Global Issues Like Poverty and Hunger
Here are some profoundly troublesome facts. Around 9.3% of the world’s roughly 8 billion people currently face extreme hunger. And around 47% of the world’s population lives in profound poverty. However, these numbers have rapidly declined over the past few decades. In 2001, roughly 13% of the world’s 6 billion people faced hunger and 68.2% of the world’s population lived in profound poverty. The good news is that hundreds of millions more people have access to basic resources and higher standards of living today than in past decades. There is still much left to be done to lift hundreds of millions more out of poverty and hunger. But it is not an amazing marvel that enough food is produced each year to feed everyone? Sustainable practices could be implemented to feed everyone in future generations as well. Just with climate change and other environmental issues, with the amazing marvels and promises available the question is not if we will fully alleviate global poverty and hunger, but how soon.
The Promises of Science, Technology, and AI
Science and technology have continued to advance at unprecedented rates. Yes, we constantly hear about the societal risks involved with artificial intelligence. One primary concern is that AI will replace many human jobs. However, many economists argue that new AI and technology will help enhance professions(and even lead to whole new professions) more than replace jobs. Previous technological booms in history have opened doors to whole new tasks and professions for people as new problems and needs arise, and this could indeed happen again in the future. Imagine virtual world tour guides and self-driving car fleet managers plus telesurgeons and drone fleet managers. Additionally, if developed and used responsibly and morally, AI can continue to transform everyday life for humans around the globe. From spell-check programs to calculators to GPS, computers, digital technology, and AI have already been with us for generations. In coming generations, AI and digital technology can continue to advance frontiers in medicine, finance, military operations, and countless other facets of human life.
In addition to AI and digitization, advancements in science and technology are helping to improve life in numerous areas. Life expectancy has continued to rise due to advancements in healthcare and medicine. Some countries already seen life expectancy rise to early 80s! Many countries’ life expectancy is expected to increase to late 80s or even into 90s over the coming century! By 2070, it is expected that roughly 2 billion people will be aged 65 or older. The rise in life expectancy is due in great part to new treatments of conditions that were debilitating in the past plus countless new medicines constantly developed. It is mesmerizing to consider how many other ways marvels in medicine and healthcare have transformed societies over the past couple of centuries. From DNA and the human genome to the latest advancements in stem-cell research, amazing wonders and marvels are sure to keep coming in the future.
All of the scientific marvels developed by humans has opened whole worlds of immeasurable wonder and mystery that we so easily take for granted. From the secrets uncovered by Hubble Telescope to the Hadron Collider’s minings into Nature’s most miniscule dimensions, humans have excavated many numinous gems unimaginable to previous generations. And we are still hardly scratching from the surface from future advancements(and future advancements will hardly ever be scratching from the surface of the Universe’s majesty). Who knows if the future will bring us machines that can transcribe thoughts to text, elevators that stretch into space, or colonization of other worlds(more or less with the help of automated technology)? Certainly, future ages are bound to bring wonders and marvels unimaginable today.
Remembering the Unparalleled Majesty of Nature
Five nonillion (5 x10³⁰) bacteria are estimated to flourish on Earth. If we were to stack up all of these organisms on top of each other, it would reach up to a trillion light years in space. To realize the majesty of even the simplest of microorganisms, consider that scientists have found that a unicellular Amoeba organism can reassemble most of its genome in just 60 hours. Its genome size is roughly 10⁵ or 10⁷ base pairs. If we estimate roughly that each strand could count as one word, think of a huge book like Herman Melville’s Moby Dick being read by one unicellular Amoeba in just a few days! This is one example of how the superintelligence and majesty of Nature surpasses any human marvels.
Dung beetles are able to align themselves with Milky Way to surreptitiously move their goods. Monarch butterflies can migrate over 3,000 miles with the help of internal compasses aligned to the Earth’s magnetic field. Honeybees will perform dances to communicate a the location of nectar in relation to the Sun. Plants can use complex arithmetic to adjust their consumption of energy in preparation for sunless days. Birds have amazing abilities to use numbers and tools in sophisticated and intelligent ways. All throughout the Earth, countless creatures show majestic and wondrous abilities beyond what humans can fathom. If the threats imposed from climate change, massive species loss, and pollution of our lands and waters seem too overwhelming of disasters, then perhaps turning back to Nature can help offer us hope, vision, and motivation to change directions. This is the attitude reflected by great philosophers and spiritual gurus about Nature, such as Henry David Thoreau:
“I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.”
Nature in its grandeur and resilience can also serve as a model for humans to live more sustainably. What if we followed the example of the birds, trees, insects, and other creatures to live more in harmony with the greater natural world? Each of us as individuals can take small steps to live more sustainably such as using composts, cutting down on energy and water consumption, and even growing our own fruits and vegetables. Governments and societies can enact policies, initiatives, and goals to help move companies and communities to sustainable energy and more eco-friendly practices and buildings. Is it not amazing that solar and wind power are more sustainable than their fossil fuel and nonrenewable counterparts? These are also the natural ways plants and trees have consistently gathered energy and fuel over millions of years. Tapping into Nature’s majesty and grandeur can renew us. We can then use Nature as our guide to live more sustainably in harmony with countless other creatures calling Earth home.
Spiritual Resilience and Global Goodwill
When billions of people worldwide were forced into lockdown in 2020 and millions lost their lives to a small mutating protein sabotaging human respiratory systems, humanity came together in unprecedented ways. There were scenes of people coming out of their houses to honor healthcare workers while many companies turned their factories and warehouses into safe spaces for producing special medical equipment. This was the best of human behavior, revealing the triumph and resilience of the human spirit. Is it not a great sign of hope that human beings are coming together around the globe to tackle many other major issues of our day? The majority of citizens in many countries view climate change as a major concern and threat. And for the past several decades nations have come together to advance human rights for all the world’s peoples, holding the ideals and goals in mind that all humans can live to optimum levels of health, freedom, and physical, economic, cultural, and spiritual well-being.
And is it not in our human nature to want to strive to make the world a better place for all? Studies have even shown that around the globe across cultures, humans tend to constantly help one another. This occurs even in the midst of the most unthinkable of human transgressions and offenses, not simply in their absence. So, shared compassion and charity are central to human nature. How inspiring this is for times where it seems the worst of human nature is on display on every television channel, newspaper page, or top internet search result. There is hope for the best to come in the future simply because of the Divinely inspired promise and potential in humanity to overcome obstacles and advance forward. If we look from the framework that we are spiritual beings on a human journey, manifestations of the Universe walking around on this numinous sphere called Earth, then the realization comes that our deeper nature should drive us to build a better world for future generations of humans as well as all life beyond humans.
The Best Is Yet To Come
In the vastness of the Earth’s history of billions of years, human history is hardly one blink of an eye. In fact, if the Earth’s whole history were 24 hours up to the present then humans did enter the scene until the 23rd hour, 59th minute, and 59th second. The future of Earth(and of the Cosmos beyond Earth), indeed stretches into forever. The great promise for humanity in all of this is that while our time in the Sun is but a blink of an eye, our small sliver also holds unbounded vastness with ideally most time still ahead. If humanity thrives for hundreds of thousands of years to come, this will mean trillions more people will be born, breathe, ponder, and live. With wondrous and unimaginable advancements and developments the future may bring, we may see ourselves thriving much longer into millions and even billions of years(as long as our Earth could naturally support life) for even quadrillions of people to live. Beyond humans, it is expected that other life forms will continue to evolve, grow, and flourish for billions of years.
Countless scientists like Lawrence Krauss describe how considering the vastness of the universe is one way science leads us to experience wonder and awe at the unbounded mystery of the Universe. Religious and spiritual traditions have consistently echoed throughout the ages that connecting to what is sacred, numinous, and transcendent within ourselves connects us to what is sacred, numinous and transcendent at the heart of everything. From both science and spirituality, we equally can come to better realize our lives as part of life of the Cosmos itself(just one profound realization among countless other parts). Inspiration and renewed hope can then surely follow, helping us hold optimism and faith that the best is indeed yet to come.
