We live in a time that, in theory and even in statistics, should be humanity’s brightest age. Never before have we had such access to education, science, and information. Knowledge that once took centuries to accumulate and only a few had the privilege of time to access it (either because of distance or of time invested or language) it is now just a click away.
Medical advances have extended lives and improved in general even the life of people with chronic issues or otherwise condemned to excruciating suffering, technology has connected continents and made life comfortable, and sports, arts, and sciences have proven themselves powerful vehicles for transformation and satisfaction. I have witnessed, both through documentaries and in my own profession, how sport can empower people with disabilities, how art can unlock creativity in those who felt silenced, and how science can inspire even the most hesitant mind to imagine beyond limitations. Human beings are resilient, brave, and capable of remarkable reinvention.
And yet, amid all this progress, a haunting question persists: why do we still seem to be moving backward in our humanity (connection with others and nature)?
Maybe Covid comes to your mind. It changed a lot the way we look at our lives, family, work and the world in general. But while during the pandemic it seemed some people were changing their mindsets and realizing what is more important…now all is under the rug.
The world is still steered by leaders and ideologies that echo the darkest chapters of our past. Despite our education, despite our lessons from history, we still allow voices of division, hostility, manipulation and destruction to dictate the direction of nations, companies and even communities… Why do we accept this regression? Why do we surrender our collective intelligence to the lowest instincts of power and greed?
The contradiction is staggering: we pour our most precious resources—time, money, and creativity—into perfecting the machinery of destruction and consumption, while neglecting the fragile, irreplaceable Earth that sustains us. We gamble recklessly with ecosystems, societies, communities and even our own mental well-being. And in the developed world, where opportunities for growth abound, too many of us drift into self-destructive habits. Social media, while a powerful tool when used wisely, too often becomes a place of distraction and division rather than a catalyst for learning, connection, or growth.
Let’s look at some of the most recent paradoxal examples: an octogenary leader of one of the most powerful nations wishes for a Nobel Peace price and renominate his Defense into War Ministry…I cannot unsee in my mind the comparative pictures of a Ukrainian solder at the beginning of war: young, standing tall and smiling proudly… And the shadow of the same person: thin and no light behind the eyes… after being relist as a war prisoner of war in Russia. This image one could see only in the worse historical events: Nazi’s camps, in the Soviet Siberian forced work camps and in communist prisons everywhere in East Europe…Now they reemerge in Russia, Yemen or Gaza….
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of our era is not ignorance but misused awareness. We know more, but do not necessarily act wiser. We see the consequences of war, pollution, and isolation, and yet choose comfort over courage, noise over reflection, and division over unity.
Talking about awareness, I have read recently an interesting actual point of view. Astronaut Ron Garan offered us a striking metaphor—and challenge. After spending 178 days in space and circling Earth 2,842 times, he experienced the “overview effect”: the cognitive shift when seeing our world as a fragile, interconnected biosphere—with no visible borders, no economy, no divisions—hanging alone in darkness (see UpworthyBig Think).
From orbit, he witnessed lightning storms, auroras, and—most shocking of all—the paper-thin veil of atmosphere that sustains all life. That moment made him realize that we’re living a lie: human-made systems treat the planet itself as a “subsidiary” to the global economy—that economic growth has become a false priority above planetary health.
Garan urges us to reverse the hierarchy: instead of “economy, society, planet,” we must think “planet, society, economy.” Only then can humanity continue its evolutionary journey.
So, is there still hope?… Just because people can be transformed through sport, art, science, journeys around the world or in the space….can humanity reshape its choices? Each resilient act, each pursuit of knowledge, each moment of kindness and courage is a quiet rebellion against the darkness. Is this enough? How many of us should engage in this?
Maybe the real question is whether we are willing, both as individuals and as societies, to invest our attention not in the fears and distractions that erode us, but in the endeavors that elevate us. Will we continue feeding what is worst in us, or will we begin, with small but persistent steps, to nurture what is best?
The future of humanity may depend less on the information we accumulate, and more on the wisdom with which we choose to live and especially act. What do you think?
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