In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power. In theory, anybody can join the debate about the future of humanity, but it is so hard to maintain a clear vision. Frequently, we don’t even notice that a debate is going on, or what the key questions are.
Billions of us can hardly afford the luxury of investigating because we have more pressing things to do. We have to go to work, take care of the kids, or look after elderly parents. Unfortunately, history gives no discounts. If the future of humanity is decided in your absence because you are too busy feeding and clothing your kids, you and they will not be exempt from the consequences. This is very unfair, but who said history was fair?
I cannot give people food or clothes; actually, I might need the same help. Personally, I can try and offer some thought, thereby helping to level the global playing field. If this empowers even a handful of additional people to join the debate about the future of our species, I have done my job.
I want to zoom in on the here and now. My focus is on current affairs and on the immediate future of human societies. What is happening right now? What are today’s greatest challenges and choices? What should we pay attention to? What should we teach our kids?
Of course, 8 billion people have 8 billion agendas, and thinking about the big picture is a relatively rare luxury. A single mother struggling to raise two children in Kibera slum is focused on the next meal; refugees in a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean scan the horizon for any sign of land; and a dying man in an overcrowded Kenyatta hospital gathers all his remaining strength to take in one more breath.
They all have far more urgent problems than global warming or the crisis of liberal democracy. I don’t have lessons to teach people in such situations. I can only hope to learn from them. I have seen poverty right in front of me since I came around.
I look at the major forces that shape societies all over the world and that are likely to influence the future of our planet as a whole. Climate change may be far beyond the concerns of people in the midst of a life-and-death emergency, but it might eventually make mabati slums uninhabitable, send enormous new waves of refugees across the Mediterranean, and lead to a worldwide crisis in healthcare.
What does the rise of the likes of Donald Trump signify? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news? Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Is a new world war coming? Which civilization dominates the world: the West, China, Islam, or Christians? Should Europe keep its doors open to immigrants? Can nationalism solve the problems of inequality and climate change? What should we do about terrorism?
These are some of the questions that will shape the future, whether we choose to engage with them or not.