From Anger to Progress

Over the last several years, much public discourse seems to have gone down the rabbit hole of anger, disappointment and pessimism.

Political demagogues spend their time telling everyone just how bad things are – and how it would all be magically resolved were they to be elected. Of course, the magical solutions never materialise but the whipped-up anger and dissatisfaction persists; continually seeping into the public psyche.

Activists the world over are stirred up by grievances about almost anything one can think of. And they do their best to spread such grievances far and wide in the hope of recruiting more people to their causes thereby pushing them up the political agenda.

There is no money in good news. Media outlets must therefore outdo themselves in feeding us a full menu of everything that is going wrong – topping such stories with the most sensationalist headlines in the hope of attracting clicks.

Then there is social media....

No politician or commentator who hopes for continued career success would, today, dare repeat Harold Macmillan’s statement that we’ve never had it so good - even though there may well be some truth to that.

Everyone is fighting for their ‘rights’ yet we hear very little about how we can carry more of our own responsibilities. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” – as John F Kennedy stated in his inaugural speech would seem just as out of place today as Macmillan’s statement.

This all-pervasive atmosphere of doom and gloom robs young people today of hope in their future. Stress, anxiety and mental health issues are the result. Those for whom the narratives of catastrophe, anger and resentment are their stock in trade should reflect on their responsibilities to the younger generations. How to balance the undoubted need to push for further progress without draining them of aspiration and of the joy of life.

At a recent keynote speech I gave at The Good Lobby Summer Academy, I described my attitude as one of optimistic realism. I am optimistic that progress will continue – even though there will be continued discussion and disagreements around what constitutes ‘progress.’ But we also all know that progress does not happen in a neat straight line. There will be two steps forward, one step back, three steps sideways and the whole thing will seem chaotic, frustrating and overly slow to many.

We are in the process of re-imagining what our political economies should look like. That is no mean task. It will take a lot of time, a lot of discussion, and will upend many things we have taken for granted. There will, as always, be winners and losers and, again as always, the losers will scream louder than the winners will applaud. The idea that everybody can win from any public policy intervention has always been a fiction.

As we go through what will be a challenging process that is generational in timescale, maybe we can all temper our anger with some feelings of gratefulness. Gratefulness at the huge amount of human progress that has been achieved over the years, decades and centuries (see figure below). Gratefulness that we continue to seek further progress and hope that we can do it in an atmosphere of civil discussion, treating different and opposing views with respect. Recognising that it is the energy of different perspectives that is the best stimulus for positive change – whatever personal views each of us may have as to what ‘positive change’ might mean. ?

As the figure below also shows, the reality is that much human progress has been achieved at the cost of erosion of our natural capital. Finding a way out of that is maybe one of the most difficult challenges we face.