The more things change, the more they remain the same. When
I think of the challenges facing the world right now, this is what comes to
mind. Despite the major technological, medical and scientific advances that
have been made over the decades, issues of poverty, hunger, environmental
degradation and strife remain as pertinent as ever.
How can so much sadness and strife exist in a world of so
much plenty? And how can we ensure that we live a future where our kids have
longer, happier and more peaceful lives?
There seems to be little consensus, or dialogue among people
on how to solve the problems afflicting the world. Ideology, culture and
lifestyle choices that greatly differ among people within and among countries
have meant that people cannot sit down and talk to one another on how to solve
problems facing them.
The first small step that we should take to beginning to make
a better world is to try listening to those who hold different religious,
political, social and ideological viewpoints. As Friedriche Nietszche famously
said, “convictions are worse enemies of the truth than lies.” People must
practice acceptance of those who think in vastly different worldviews, and
accept that beliefs, while they are important, can promote anger and negative
emotions when people try to force others to renounce “weird” lifestyles and
ideologies.
People must rise above societal and political prejudices,
and be confident in the protection of the rights of the most marginalized,
exploited and neglected of the society even if it makes them unpopular and
shunned by their peers. The most revolutionary of people in the world, such as Galileo
Galilei and Karl Marx stood up against “conventional wisdom” and changed the
world forever.
Secondly, the governments, populations of the world and
non-state actors must start cooperating with each other on solving challenges
that straddle many boundaries and continents. Issues such as global warming,
economic shocks and terrorism, as well as disease outbreaks have overwhelmed
governments the world over.
It is obvious that people and their governments have to
start assisting each other, and cooperating with each other to solve such problems.
Humanitarian intervention is just but one example of tough choices that
citizens of the world must make to make sure that when people face major
challenges that may be natural and man-made disasters, people can be assisted.
Technology is a major engine for growth and change in the
world. Through technological advancements, citizens can keep their governments
on their toes, interact with others across continents and be exposed to many
economic opportunities and markets.
However, technological gap has been growing between those
who have access to the internet and facilities mostly found in major cities and
those who are illiterate, old and cut off from the rest of the world by
geographical, economic and social barriers. Thus, even the major breakthroughs
such as the internet, medical advances and infrastructure have not benefitted
those who need it most.
We need to ensure more people can benefit from the
scientific and technological advances of the world through education,
generosity and massive investment in the scientific and technological sectors
of the world.
In conclusion, I think we need to talk more to each other,
respect and cooperate with each other irrespective on cultural, ideological and
religious differences. This should happen across all economic and social strata
in the world, because the problems facing our earth are big, complicated and
they will require all the cooperation we can get.
