It slips away. Bit by bit, the things happening in the world carve away at what was once whole and unshakable.
I always described myself as an almost naïve optimist. I‘m not sure I am that anymore.
Reality presents us with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Climate change at the top of the list. The super-rich squeezing every bit of money out of ordinary people. Capitalism acting as an accelerant for both issues.
Russia and China pushing democracies to the brink—and in some cases, beyond it—through social media and politicians who either lost or never had the moral compass I naïvely assumed was a given in Western societies.
AI leading to likely job losses across white-collar professions, leaving unprepared societies even more vulnerable. And giving totalitarians—who are already pushing for power—ever more powerful tools to control society once they succeed.
A lack of accountability. A refusal to engage with reality. A failure to shape society. A relentless focus on manufactured outrage over meaningless non-issues.
All of this creates the perfect storm, allowing ignorant, power-hungry people to ignore science and reality. To amass power without accountability. To drive humanity toward extinction for their fleeting gain.
My daughter currently loves the song Astronaut by a children’s hip-hop rhinoceros called Dikka (you know, good things do exist!). I can barely listen to the lyrics without silently breaking down right next to her.
Here’s the rough translation:
We lift off, nothing holds us down
We have to go up there for a moment
To show you the world from above
Like an astronautIt’s almost midnight—five to twelve, it’s nearly too late
The powerful watch as the world spins the wrong way
Nature is exploited, the environment destroyed
Animals have no water left, no shelter, no voice
The climate is burning, nothing is fine
But kids, we can change it all—we can take this in our hands
Starting today, we won’t look away, won’t be deaf, mute, or blind
Because inside every grown-up heart, there’s still a child.And we’ll take that child’s hand, fly up into the sky
Together, we’ll give it everything—we won’t give up the fight
This Earth is a miracle, one we must protect
See it through our eyes—look how beautiful it is.(Chorus)
We lift off, nothing holds us down
We have to go up there for a moment
To show you the world from above
Like an astronaut
It’s not lost yet, we will never give up
We push the clouds aside up here
Like an astronaut.How beautiful this world would be
Without trash in the forests, without plastic in the sea
Without wars, without weapons, without rivers poisoned with waste
And without the Earth burning so hot it finally breaks.There are so many dreams, countless and bright
Nearly eight billion people, yet too little kindness inside.
From up here, it all looks different—borders fade away
You can’t see race or skin color from so far away.So much is broken, so much is wrong
But if we all fight together, change won’t take long.
This Earth is a miracle, one we must protect
See it through our eyes—look how beautiful it is.(Chorus repeat)
What do I do with all of this? Who will I be from now on?
Do I scramble for whatever’s left before AI takes my job? Before society breaks down?
Do I stand up to injustice? Will I still do it when my family is in danger? Or do I shut the fuck up to protect them—to ensure I still get enough scraps to have some kind of good life?
Do I have enough energy to fight for society when I need to invest in raising a kid, providing for my family, and staying in shape?
Which of the many challenges will reach our doorstep first? A flood? Inflation driving food prices through the roof? Unaffordable rent hikes? A repressive government?
What kind of father will I be to my daughter when she grows up? How will I answer the inevitable “What did you do back then, Dad?”
I don’t know right now. Too many fronts to fight. Too many problems to solve. Problems too massive to tackle without a strong society putting its weight behind them.
I‘m losing hope. And I hate that.