There has never been a better time to act

A call to action for those with the optimism and will to build a better future

Hey everyone!

First, a bit of good news - since the start of my recess break, I've been able to sneak afternoon naps into my schedule every single day. Honestly, forget about wealth, status and possessions - if I had to pick one definitive marker for happiness, it'd be the ability to take naps at any given moment. This break has given me much-needed time to organize my environment and prepare for the work that lies ahead. I know that it's impossible (or at least downright unhealthy) to sustain a breakneck pace of work indefinitely, so I intend to make rest an integral priority moving forward.

I'll keep this as brief as I can, but the gist of today's article is simple: The prevailing narrative of our time is one of pessimism, but I think there's reason to be very, very optimistic about the future. I believe that dramatic change is imminent, and things will look very different at the end of our lifetimes compared to what they did at the start. At the moment, most of that change seems like it's for the worse, but it's also during periods of crisis and upheaval that the greatest opportunities arise. I'm making the case that if enough of us act quickly and with the right attitude, we can bring about the conditions for a flourishing future.

With every day, month and year that passes, we're beginning to see the bare truth - that the old order of things is no longer working. The systems of governance and business and the institutions that underpin society are not adequately prepared to solve the problems of the present. There is little in the way of a long-term future for us to look forward to. As a result, people are choosing not to have children, hoping for a return to the "good old days", or simply disengaging from responsibilities towards their local communities. It's easy to be a pessimist, because nobody can definitively prove you wrong - and even if they do, there’s always something else to lament about.

I won't deny that I've felt that way in the past, but in the last few months, I've seen for myself the kind of momentum and change that's possible with the right intention and circumstances. I've seen it happen in my own life, and I've also been inspired by creators, organizations, communities and social movements all around the world. Behind all of these are pragmatic optimists who believe in the possibility of a better future. The seeds of change are sprouting, and it excites me to my bones.

The author of this article puts forth the same argument really well. I believe that pessimism is preventing us from moving the needle forward towards meaningful change, and we desperately need people who are willing to step up and share their convictions that things can improve. These will be the same people who bring forth new mental models to understand the world, and the collaborative solutions to help us build a better one.

I'm also keeping in mind the idea that change happens slowly, then all at once. There's a great podcast episode elaborating on this idea in the context of social change. What this implies is that it won't be as much of an uphill battle to change people's minds as it might seem. Once enough momentum builds, change will be self-sustaining.

Most people have a myopic view of the past, and discount the amount of progress they've seen in their lifetime. I think that this is partly due to our innate cognitive biases. Our brains are adept at focusing on the negative and always looking out for threats. But the other part is that we rarely revisit the past and appreciate how much progress we've achieved in only a few decades. We often underestimate global measurements of well-being like poverty, education and gender equality. Understanding this should give us more faith in the overall trajectory of humanity.

Like me, most of you reading this would have been privileged to live a life in relative safety and comfort, with opportunities to grow your curiosity and expose yourselves to a wealth of perspectives. You have the vocabulary to comprehend new ideas, the resources to act on them, and the social networks with which you can engage others. These are all gifts that are incredibly hard to come by - and least for me, I’ve decided that there is no better time to use them.

What will you create?

3 Questions from me:

• What is one thing in your life which, if taken care of, would make everything else easier?

• In what way are you setting excessively high standards for yourself or the people around you?

• How are you making space for novelty in your life?