Yuval Harari says that "we live in the era of perplexity".  

At the same time as people lose faith in global politics, the fusion of biotechnology and information technology brings us face to face with the biggest changes that human beings have ever undergone. But there are many points to adjust.

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PROGRESS?

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In June 2019, 2 billion tons of ice melted in Greenland, the biggest melting in history. Meanwhile, around 800 million people are currently hungry on the planet. This entire scenario is related to an economic model that is not effective in reducing inequality, much less encompasses the preservation of nature as it should. The prognosis for this is only one: in this tune, the Earth will no longer want us here.

We have the potential to end hunger, but that doesn't happen. In the name of what?

All this takes place in the name of an idea of progress built throughout history. A concept that no longer makes sense, a legacy of an industrial age that pushed the lungs of the Earth (and many people) beyond the limit and brought us to a way of thinking where even leisure should be "productive".

Progress is not just about "growing up". When we grow as fast as we grow, we occupy space with other very important elements for the future of nature and, consequently, of humanity.

In his book " Ideas to Postpone the End of the World ", Ailton Krenak says that we have lost the notion that we are part of Nature. We tend to see this relationship between human beings and the environment with a distance that simply doesn't exist. That says a lot about how we got to this point.

We don't need to distance ourselves from nature to prosper, on the contrary. We have a very strong environmental potential, which generates wealth, especially in Brazil.  

We live in a moment when each one of us does our part is no longer enough. We need a very strong mobilization and economic and social transformations so that the future simply happens.

Nationalist and isolated political models no longer have room in a world that needs cooperation in making decisions that will dictate the course of the planet. For reasons like these, we see a rise in "nostalgic" political views. People infiltrating the public debate resorting their plans to return to a past painted in gold and a conspiracy-based future that looks more like a screenplay adapted from a book to a poorly written movie. Comforting ideas that seek to explain this context with the greatest simplicity in the world.

Many so-called modern companies still organize themselves as in the industrial age, in a totally hierarchical, closed way, encouraging competitiveness among their own members and employees, without any real movement in favor of creativity, reducing their freedom and potential under the false promise of security, stability and financial independence.  

But, in fact, what most connects with concepts of freedom, autonomy and prosperity is creativity. We went through a feverish moment, where time no longer plays its role as an orderer, but as an obstacle.

Oppressive models that are the basis of an economy that has been faltering for a long time, but which is still supported by foundations that refuse to budge and that make those impacted submit willingly, anesthetized.

After anesthesia comes tiredness.

Byung-Chul Han calls the current organization the " Society of Tiredness ", which suffers in line with the performance cult model we reflected above.  

For the South Korean philosopher, self-exploration is one of the main symptoms of this model. We live in anguish for not being able to do everything that could or should be done and, with that, fingers are pointed - coming from all directions - affirming that we are not winners, deserving of any positive gain.  

It is alienation from yourself. In addition to killing the planet, we kill ourselves and develop physical and psychological pathologies: burnout syndrome, anorexia and countless types of "new" compulsions.  

And what's left of it all?

I would like to leave the reflection: should we grow or prosper?

At the next Pico , Pedro will tell you about some initiatives and new economic models that are already being applied and generating positive results around the world. It is worth checking!

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