The Frightening Direction of Our World

The events of the last few years have left me deeply concerned about where humanity is heading. We live in an age where warnings are plentiful, expert reports abound, and the cost of inaction is written in lives lost, families shattered, ecosystems destroyed, and societies destabilized. And yet, those with the real power to change course have, time and again, chosen to do nothing meaningful. Their priority has been to protect their own short-term interests—political survival, financial profit, or ideological dominance—rather than safeguarding humanity’s collective future.

I see this playing out on four critical fronts.

Ukraine: A War That Should Never Have Happened

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not inevitable. It was preceded by years of warnings about authoritarian overreach, unchecked expansionism, and the erosion of international norms. The invasion has brought immense suffering—tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, infrastructure reduced to rubble. Western nations responded with sanctions and arms shipments, but no coherent strategy for peace, no willingness to address the wider geopolitical and humanitarian crises it unleashed. The result? A grinding war that risks normalizing mass violence in Europe once again.

Gaza: A Genocide in Real Time

In Gaza, the world has watched a humanitarian catastrophe unfold on our screens in real time—entire neighborhoods flattened, hospitals bombed, children buried beneath the rubble. Human rights organizations have used the word genocide, yet the so-called guardians of the international order equivocate, delay, and ultimately shield perpetrators. The language of “restraint” and “proportionality” is empty when weighed against the images of mass graves and starving families. The moral failure here is staggering—not only in the slaughter itself, but in the silence and complicity of those who claim to lead.

Climate Change: The Slow-Motion Catastrophe

Meanwhile, the planet itself burns. 2023 and 2024 were the hottest years on record, wildfires consumed millions of hectares, floods displaced entire communities, and global biodiversity continued its freefall. And yet fossil fuel subsidies remain at historic highs. Conferences end with lofty promises and carefully worded communiqués, while carbon emissions rise. The science has been clear for decades: we are pushing the Earth past safe boundaries. Still, governments and corporations choose short-term gain over long-term survival.

The US Descent into Authoritarianism

And perhaps most chilling of all is the descent of the United States—a nation that once styled itself as a beacon of democracy—into a creeping form of fascism. From gerrymandering and voter suppression to the open embrace of white nationalism and the idolization of authoritarian leaders, the foundations of democracy are under sustained assault. History teaches us that democracy does not die overnight; it dies slowly, by erosion, by normalization of the unacceptable, by citizens becoming numb. The rest of the world feels the tremors of this decay.

The Personal Weight of Global Failure

As a parent of two young men, I feel this deeply. The world they now face is more fragile, more violent, and more unstable than the one I inherited. I want to believe in the power of grassroots change, in the courage of individuals, in the possibility of new generations demanding something better. And I am heartened by the countless people—activists, scientists, community leaders—who dedicate themselves to change despite the odds.

But if I’m honest, I am doubtful about the effectiveness of these efforts under a global system driven by selfishness and profit. I have pivoted from passionate advocacy to burnout, from trying to engage globally to narrowing my focus on my immediate sphere, from hope to guilt, and now to a kind of confusion: how can we, as a species, knowingly continue down this destructive path?

What Can We Do?

The truth is, there is no easy solution. But there are directions we must consider:

Reclaiming Accountability: We cannot allow leaders to escape scrutiny. Whether through voting, protest, or international pressure, we must demand that those in power face consequences for inaction.

Re-centering Morality: We must move beyond cost–benefit calculations that treat human lives and ecosystems as expendable. A society that cannot ground itself in moral clarity will collapse under its own contradictions.

Local Action as Resistance: Even when global change feels impossible, local actions—supporting refugees, cutting emissions in our own communities, standing against racism in our workplaces—are not meaningless. They are seeds of resilience.

Refusing to Normalize the Unthinkable: Perhaps most importantly, we must not grow numb. We must continue to speak truth, to call things what they are—genocide, corruption, fascism—even when leaders obfuscate.

A Frightening but Necessary Reckoning

What terrifies me most is not only the crises themselves, but the human tendency to adapt to them, to normalize the unacceptable. We risk teaching our children that war, famine, authoritarianism, and ecological collapse are simply the way the world is. That would be the ultimate betrayal.

So where does that leave us? Perhaps with no choice but to keep going: to protect what we can, to demand accountability, to nurture hope even when cynicism feels easier. The odds are against us—but history has always been shaped by those who refused to accept that injustice and destruction were inevitable.

I don’t pretend to have the answers. I only know that silence and surrender guarantee the worst.

And maybe, just maybe, refusing to give up—refusing to normalize despair—is the most radical act left to us.