As we are coming out of a pandemic that has tested our resilience, I must admit that, when I look at the state of our world, I am worried.
Our planet is struggling with global warming and the destruction of life’s habitat.
Our economies are struggling with inflation.
Our political world is divided. Our societies are polarized.
As a result, wars are emerging. Homo homini lupus est, man is wolf to man, within our societies, between our countries, and between our people.
There is environmental, economic, political, and social instability.
We have never been so together in our interdependence, yet we have never been so divided in our beliefs.
The collective narrative, our culture, our shared stories previously united us. Social media has transformed this landscape. Shared stories have been shattered on the altar of individuality as we fall in love over and over with the beautiful shiny self-image that social media helps us create and promote.
There is a disease of us versus them. It is a global pandemic, and it’s worse than Covid.
The symptoms of this sickness are widespread: lack of humility, impatience, an inability to listen, a tendency to think that I understand everything that can be Googled, that if you are famous, you are right, and that those who disagree with me are against me.
On an individual level, we have Democrats versus Republicans. Pro-choice vs. Pro-life. Pro-vax versus anti-vax. Meat eaters versus vegetarians. Whenever I meet strangers, I can always find a difference that can help me categorize them into with or against me.
On a global level, there is extreme communism versus extreme capitalism. Extreme collective ownership versus radical individual freedom. I feel that both extremes are fundamentally rotten. Life is painted in shades of gray, not black and white. Where beauty is seen, we usually find balance.
By generating conflicts, this disease erodes the fabric of our humanity, and I am afraid of what the future could bring if we don’t wake up. Even though suffering always brings growth opportunities, it is often unnecessary if we just stop and think.
But how do we treat this disease?
Education. Not information, education. Let’s teach ourselves, and our kids to ask questions and honestly seek answers, not to find an idea we like and look for an explanation that supports our view. Let’s teach ourselves and our kids to listen when someone else talks, especially when different ideas are shared; not listen with an argument in mind but listen with the willingness to learn. Let’s teach ourselves and our kids that one difference of thought does not make you my enemy because we have much more in common than we think.
We share the same planet. We strive for the same thing; we all want to live happy, peaceful, meaningful lives.
At a critical moment in our world’s history, let’s not exchange honor for prestige or profit; let’s just do the right thing. Let’s care about what’s right, not who’s right. Let’s sit and talk, agree to disagree, shake hands, not throw fists or bombs at each other, and enjoy what life brings to everyone, a world that is as beautiful as it is fragile.
Thank you.
Martin Pham Dinh 