Uncertain times, unsettled lives
Uncertain times, unsettled lives
Issue 112 - 13 Sep 2022 (9-min read)
I couldn’t have found a better way to describe the world today and it seems the folks at the United Nations Development Program are on the same page. These are surely uncertain times and we are definitely living unsettled lives.
Let’s dive in this issue of The Global Tiller into the latest Human Development Report published last week by the UNDP. What are some of its grim findings and what are some areas where we can find the tools to shape our future in this transforming world.
One of the main findings of this report, one that you may already have caught on several headlines, is a bleak one. The global Human Development Index value, which measures countries’ life expectancies, education levels, and standards of living, has declined two years in a row, erasing the gains of the preceding five years. This is the first time it has declined since the index was created over 30 years ago.
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know which major event may have contributed to this decline. But the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t the only one to blame. According to the report, what is emerging in the world is a new uncertainty complex, the kind never before seen in human history. What this means is that apart from the daily uncertainties that people have faced since time immemorial, such as plagues, floods, war and droughts, we are now navigating the uncharted waters of three volatile crosscurrents:
The dangerous planetary change of the Anthropocene.
The pursuit of sweeping societal transformations on par with the Industrial Revolution, such as new food systems, economic models and transportation.
The vagaries and vacillations of polarised societies.
Add to this persistent deprivations and inequalities in human development, and we have our work cut out for us.
If you have doubts, here are some of the global crises that have piled up: the global financial crisis, the ongoing global climate crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, and a looming global food crisis — the beginnings of which were marked by the war in Ukraine and has been exacerbated, at least in Pakistan, by the catastrophic floods this summer.
According to the report, "[t]here is a nagging sense that whatever control we have over our lives is slipping away, that the norms and institutions we used to rely on for stability and prosperity are not up to the task of today’s uncertainty complex…[f]or many, getting from point A to point B in their lives and in their communities feels unclear, unsure, hard —harder still when persistent inequalities, polarization and demagoguery make it difficult to agree on what point B even is and to get moving."
If by now you are thoroughly demoralised, don’t worry you’re not alone. But the report offers some guidance on the kind of policies that could help us navigate this uncertainty complex and, who knows, maybe thrive in it too.
The first is smart and practical investments — from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics and extreme natural hazards — that could ease planetary pressures and also prepare communities to cope with shocks.
The second is insurance — a safety net or social protection that protects everyone from the contingencies of an uncertain world. Think no-longer-radical ideas, such as universal basic income, but also investments in health and education for all.
The third is innovation, not just technological but also economic and cultural — a necessary tool to deal with any known and unknown challenges that humanity will face. The report makes it a point here to mention that the role of the government is crucial to make sure that the right policies are formulated but also implemented by the whole community, and eventually humanity.
No doubt the report is unable to offer a simple, clear-cut solution to the complexity of problems we face. What it offers instead is a reminder that ultimately it all comes down to human choice. What we as human beings decide to do now and the way we use our imaginations for a collective future will shape our future.
So as we think hard about what kind of future we want, we should think about those who have the power to change the now. It could be our individual choice on how to engage with our community. Or it could be a corporate choice to change global narratives with the literal click of a button. Or it could be our government’s choice to prevent its descent into fascism towards a system that respects the dignity of human life. It could be one or all of these. The choice, it appears, is ours to make.
Until next time, take care and stay safe!
Hira - Editor - The Global Tiller
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If the planet feels good, so do I!
If you enjoyed ‘A Change for All’, the 110th issue of The Global Tiller in which we looked at the Earth4all initiative and what are some major policy changes it proposes for an equitable future, then you may enjoy our conversation with Christian Schott, an associate professor of tourism management and the chairman of the Steering Committee on the Principles of Responsible Education Management at the University of Victoria in Wellington.
Philippe and Christian talk about Earth4all, where the initiative falls short and what role tourism can play. He hopes the initiative grows beyond the economics lens and has a buy-in from psychologists, scientists, humanitarians, and others.
…and now what?
In his famous book from 2018 ‘Enlightenment Now’, academic Steven Pinker argues that we’re living in a better world than we think:
Is progress inevitable? Of course not. Progress does not mean that everything becomes better for everyone everywhere all the time. That would be a miracle, and progress is not a miracle but problem-solving. Problems are inevitable and solutions create new problems which have to be solved in their turn. The unsolved problems facing the world today are gargantuan, including the risks of climate change and nuclear war, but we must see them as problems to be solved, not apocalypses in waiting, and aggressively pursue solutions like Deep Decarbonization for climate change and Global Zero for nuclear war.
I remember reading this book and realising, against my own intuition, that yes, the world is actually getting better and that, if we do have huge challenges facing us today and in the future, we’re actually making progress.
But it seems that since 2018, somehow, progress has slowed down, if not reversed. Am I falling back into the trap of negativity of which Pinker was calling our attention to? Or was his explanation a little too simplistic for our complex world?
Looking at the UNDP report, it seems that, unfortunately, humanity has started to fall down from its own progress. Other numbers come to contribute to this feeling: life expectancy is dropping in developed countries, the impact of climate change is definitely growing stronger and we seem to not have found the way to progress anymore: polarisation, bigotry, and somehow even superstition seems to be back.
Is it a natural reaction in the face of catastrophic risks and unbearable challenges? Maybe. As my father would say, sailors are usually more superstitious and religious than others because, as you face the immensity of the sea, you tend to look for something to hold onto.
I’m an optimist by nature, and I always find the silver lining in many situations. While recently sharing the stage with an environmental activist at an event in Tahiti, one attendee summarised our talk this way: “The activist told us we’re all gonna die, Philippe told us there’s something we can do about it”. And I do believe so.
But that makes me even more frustrated to see that if change is actually not that hard to engage (many studies show us we don’t need giant revolutions to actually start reversing course) we seem to be unable to do it.
As Christiana Figueres, one of the architect of the Paris Accord, tells us in her book ‘The Future We Choose’:
We don’t know what is going to make the difference, but we know that in the end systems do shift and all the little actions add up to a new world. Every time you make an individual choice to be a responsible custodian of this beautiful Earth, you contribute to major transformations.
But in the meantime, people who could do something just don’t: the US has been trapped in its own perspective divide between a cultish right and a frozen left, Europe is trapped in its own consensus process, Asia is choking under the authoritarian rule of Xi, Putin or Modi…no leader seems willing to really take on the challenge. And beyond the visible leaders, not much of us seem to be willing to step up.
Are we lost in the narratives as I’ve been reflecting upon in our last two issues? Or maybe we are struggling to review our criteria for leadership. I was reading today this study on how leadership is about who gets to babble the most. Even those we thought could bring a positive contribution are now lost into babbling debates to justify their lack of commitment towards buying a babbling platform...and we all babble about it.
But this piece is not a call of despair. It’s a call to go beyond the varnish of our babbles and to start unlocking what will eventually help us get back on track with improving ourselves and our world. So let me ask you one question: what has prevented us from making the world a better place for so long?
Here’s my answer to it: accountability. How often have we seen leaders not being held accountable, or better yet, not putting themselves accountable for their deeds? It happens but not often enough. CEOs leaving their companies in a golden parachute while laying off thousands of workers in their wake, politicians being reelected after being charged, community leaders being defended after being proven guilty…even sometimes those we thought exemplary struggle to take responsibility.
So, maybe it’s time to first and foremost teach one thing in our leadership classes: accountability. Beyond public speaking, beyond purpose, beyond vision, even beyond grit, one thing to rule us all should first and foremost be: accountability.
As the famous French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry told us:
Being human is precisely being accountable and knowing that, by putting your stone on the wall, you contribute to building the world.
Maybe it’s time to make sure all those building the world put their stones the right way, or our crooked edifice will definitely not last long.
Philippe - Founder & CEO - Pacific Ventury