We are not on a path to a more peaceful world—we’re accelerating toward a more dangerous one.
Consider some of the emerging geo-political moves and postures currently at play. Every major nation is increasing military spending with investments in next-generation, AI and nuclear weapon technology.[1] The NATO alliance is in jeopardy after the 2024 election in the United States that dramatically tipped the scales of trust and allegiance away from the victims of an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The lack of any serious proposals for peace and rebuilding Gaza worsens a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The Trump administration continues to threaten long-time allies and friends with expansionistic desires into Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada, and the Gaza Strip. And in a recent op-ed, ideologically aligned operatives appear more concerned about evicting the United Nations from New York for a real-estate deal rather than supporting their mission to uphold and promote human rights around the world.[2]
We are not on a path to a more peaceful world—we’re accelerating toward a more dangerous one.
The progress that defined the first-quarter century in areas of technology, healthcare, upward mobility, and social justice has been largely overshadowed by political polarization, terrorism, war, simultaneous refugee and migrant crises, ideological extremism, a global pandemic, and widening economic gaps between the wealthy and the poor. The now-empowered political movement in America ran on the belief that progress from the last 25 years has been the root cause of the myriad of crises the world is experiencing. It’s a classic example of a straw man fallacy.[3]
Without a clear and cohesive narrative, the “extremism” of change and progress is an accessible target for a general public simply looking for economic stability, a great home to live in, excellent schools and neighborhoods for their children, and the opportunity to live freely and sustainably well into their later years. The present-day realities leave us wondering who our friends are anymore. Whether neighbors on our street, community members at the grocery store, or global allies, how we define friend from foe is determined by illogical and inhuman standards.
Progress is not our foe, but regression and haphazard deconstruction will be our downfall. No doubt, many systems are fracturing in our evolving world. Under more natural circumstances, irrelevant institutions and systems eventually fade as new and better ones emerge. But forcing their demise does more harm than good, and raising old ones from the dead—like the global expansionism that incited two World Wars—is a fast track to a nuclear apocalypse.
A safer and more peaceful world begins with cultivating progress in our communities. Global forces will do as they do. Damage will be done and those in positions of influence and power will walk closer to danger as others actively work to prevent it—perhaps at a great cost.
The pathway to hope begins with us in our local communities.
As people of hope, our calling is to invest in—not divide—our communities with resiliency. Our neighborhoods, schools, community centers, libraries, small businesses, parks, cultural spaces, and local governments exist in service to each other. They are worthy of our time, money, and contribution. They are not enemies to be won over or rooted out. They hold societies and modern people together—the institutional bonds that maintain our humanity and cultivate a better world. Our communities are the physical places where we discover our self-empowerment and worth in a world that makes us feel increasingly disempowered and irrelevant. A global pandemic didn’t create this moment—it exposed where reinvestment is urgently needed.
The pathway to hope begins with us in our local communities. Trust through holism; compassion through openness; collaboration through progress; and peace through equity. These are the ingredients that create a hopeful tomorrow for everyone.
The winds of change continue to blow. So raise your sail and lean into them. A better tomorrow is coming.
[1] https://www.perplexity.ai/page/global-military-spending-trend-e3coOj6_SMav9y8dwaIzDA
Matt Till 