recovering optimism

One of the main themes of human history is the search for and discovery of better ways of doing things. We've gotten much better at meeting many challenges. We don't have to forage to feed ourselves. We have elaborate systems for conveniently providing not only the basic necessities of life but also great luxury that many of us have come to take for granted.

Recent centuries have seen the emergence of modern science, democracy, and more enlightened attitudes toward religion. The ensuing cataclysmic social and cultural shifts did not come without casualties or resistance, but until about a hundred years ago, it didn't seem strange or naive to believe that humanity was on an upward trajectory that would know no limits. Advances in areas like science, medicine, and technology didn't stop, but two devastating world wars and many other dark and discouraging byproducts of modernity have dampened our enthusiasm for progress.

The quaint optimism that was so abundant prior to World War I has been replaced by a desperate search for anything that might offer some basis for hope. People go to ridiculous extremes to escape the sense of doom they have about the general state of the world. It is hard to imagine what it would take to recapture that which motivated many previous generations to move forward and to regain a simple faith in ourselves, in our innate capacity for goodness, and in our ability to make the world a better place. Nonetheless, nothing else makes sense.