When I grew up as a child, I expierienced the society I live in as highly optimistic in the future development of humanity. I think part of the expression of this kind of thinking is visible in for example the whole Star Trek franchise and a living, active Science Fiction movement.
Today, more and more people have a deep disbelief in a positive future, in the value of changing social standards and morals and the course of humankind in general. Here in Germany more and more people romanticize about "the good ol' times", the 60ies to the 80ies in the best cases. In the worst they romanticize the other "good ol' times", the Kaiserzeit, Prussia or even the third Reich as a desirable model for our nowaday society.
The phenomena I observate in my opinion is a flight from a more and more dystopian future we can not face optimistic grewing more catastrophic with every day going by. And I think this is a catastrophy of the mind we face as global society, adding up upon the dangers of pandemic diseases, global environmental collapse, civilisational breakdown, brink of war and A.I. on the rise just to name a few.
The future we thought lying clear before us, disappear more and more into a fog of the unknown. We thought we could anticipate what lies ahead and that the future is bright, but more and more it seems to be clouded in darkness.
I will not say that the dystopian future is not a real possibility neither would I say, there is no escape. In my opinion it is like in the chinese proverb, we all live in interesting times, and the hardships to come wont be easy, but we must think of a possibility, a way in the future we want to walk on. If we could not dream of a future worth living, escapism will grew stronger and stronger and in my opinion this is like a disease of the mind. It paralyzes us in walking forward and the scenarios will lead us to ignorance, hate, violence and suffering.
We must start dreaming a collective dream of a liveworthy future.
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