What is in store for us could be special, could hold thousands of possibilities and ideas to explore. Our ever-growing scientific discoveries could continue to teach us things. However, if we don’t start working on a critical area of life that many people neglect - the understanding of humanity and nature on a more personal level - then there will simply not be enough time left for a future in which we can continue to thrive.

 

The last 50 years have been a golden age in terms of science and technology. From discovering more about space and making plans to go to Mars to our rapidly increasing understanding of AI, or us managing to clone animals, we are learning about the world around us every day. In the last decade, laser eye surgery, GPS, social networks, self-driving cars, and more have changed our lives immensely. 

 

However, our emotional understanding has worsened. In the coronavirus lockdowns, isolation and loneliness overwhelmed many, leading to self-doubt, depression, and in the worst case, suicide. In March-November 2020, 15,541 calls to London Ambulance Service relating to suicide or attempted suicides were made, compared to 11,703 made in 2019. 

 

Suicide rates have increased, in part, due to stress about COVID and lockdown. Suicide rates among 15 to 24-year-olds have tripled since the 1950s and are now the second leading cause of death for that age group. A recent study showed that a shocking 1 in 5 college students has thoughts of suicide, with 9 percent attempting it.

 

 People have started living less healthily, obesity rates have increased, addictions such as alcoholism have gone up. In Europe and America, racism and xenophobia have worsened. “We are in an era of rising tensions and negative emotions,” says economist Jeffrey D. Sachs. “These findings point to underlying challenges that need to be addressed.”

 

Another problem is that people possess knowledge but fail to act on it. Enough people have known about climate change over the past few years to make a difference, yet we are in a position where the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is soaring; it is increasing at the second-highest rate in history. Eleven percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are due to deforestation- the same amount as all the emissions from all the passenger vehicles on the planet. Yet, not enough is being done to prevent trees from being cut down. Eleven percent of the world’s population is currently vulnerable to climate change impacts such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Why have knowledge if we are not going to use it?!

 

Whilst we know and understand more about the mechanics of the universe, many of us seem to have lost an understanding of ourselves, friendship, happiness, trust, and a sense of what it means to be human. This knowledge of humanity, of morals, of life, is arguably as essential, if not more, than the developments we are making in science.

 

People need to spend more time improving their emotional wellbeing; we need to be more connected and compassionate. We need to get outside more, talk to others more frequently and seek help when needed. Even something as simple as getting a dog will decrease your risk of suffering from depression and make you calmer and happier. 

 

To conclude, this is a thriving time of knowledge and understanding, but all of that means nothing if we don’t use this knowledge well. Coronavirus has been hard for everyone. Family members have died; opportunities have been missed. Social media and cultural standards have put crushing amounts of pressure onto people of all ages, especially children. People are not looking after themselves well enough, mentally and physically. Tolerance of others’ opinions, backgrounds and ideas has diminished. Suppose we don’t struggle through as a community, moving on and creating a unified, happy, healthy, trusting world where we use the knowledge accumulated from the last hundred years to our benefit. In that case, this era of scientific enlightenment will have been for nothing.