There is still more to unite than to divide us

The current global backdrop feels fractured – doom and gloom abound. Terrorism, war, countless senseless mass shootings, and de-globalization are contributing to a sense of isolation. The threads that unite our shared humanity are being frayed. Last weekend, images of an angry mob storming Dagestan’s airport – reportedly on the hunt for Jewish passengers flying from Tel Aviv – disgusts us and illustrates the current darkness that engulfs us.

As the plates of geopolitics shift into a potential new world order,?it’s?an appropriate time to lean into the power of hope. Numerous medical and psychological studies suggest?that?possessing greater amounts of hope can improve well-being and protect against depression and debilitating disease. It can also help us process insurmountable horrors. And yet hope feels hollow against the scale of recent human pain and suffering.

We must not relent in our desire for a way through. The world has always been, and will remain, a complicated place. Increased global trade in recent decades allowed countries with different ideologies and political agendas to come together, interact,?and exchange for mutual benefit. It is not inevitable that the progress of three decades of interconnectedness will all be unwound by more recent trends of de-globalization.

There is?still?more to unite than to divide us. We continue to see so many shared values and common experiences as we travel the globe, finding new areas across business, markets, sports, film, music, and art to connect to each other. We are hopeful this current darkness passes and the world, once more, embraces the unique commonality of the human experience.