Recently, Europe has witnessed a surge in social unrest and riots across various countries. These disturbances have been triggered by diverse issues: the imposition of a curfew in the Netherlands, the prohibition of abortion in Poland, tensions between police and youth in Belgium, and other sporadic instances of unrest in numerous European nations.
In my perspective, these events are merely the tip of the iceberg, signifying deeper societal malaise rather than specific grievances about curfews or abortion rights. I see them as manifestations of a generalized dissatisfaction and a lack of visionary future, a kind of collective desperation.
I believe we are witnessing the twilight of an era of “happy” globalization that commenced post-communism in Eastern Europe and with the fall of the Berlin Wall. This phase could arguably encompass the entire 80-year period following World War II.
The root cause, in my view, is the culmination of the capitalist model. While I am not against capitalism per se, having seen firsthand the failures of communism, it seems evident that capitalism, too, is faltering. It resembles a game of Monopoly, where the endgame is a few individuals owning everything while the majority are left with nothing. The COVID-19 pandemic has only hastened this realization. Furthermore, the ongoing technological revolution, particularly the advent of AI, threatens to overhaul job markets – a situation reminiscent of the industrial revolution, but with potentially more dire consequences.
Despite my efforts to remain optimistic, the current state of global unrest and government responses do little to bolster hope. The post-COVID financial landscape appears stable, but I suspect this is only a temporary facade. The pandemic has laid bare the division between those who can adapt and thrive in a tech-driven world and those who cannot.
The critical question now is whether we can address this division peacefully and equitably. COVID-19, in my view, is nature’s response to human irresponsibility, a reminder that there is much about the macro-scale of life that we do not understand.
Ironically, this situation comes precisely a century after the Spanish Flu pandemic, which was also a byproduct of globalization (then spurred by World War I). The COVID-19 spread is similarly linked to modern globalization, particularly mass tourism.
Given this historical parallel, it’s daunting to consider what the next 20 years might bring. My outlook, though I wish it were otherwise, leans towards the pessimistic. The patterns of history and the current global dynamics suggest we are on the cusp of significant and potentially tumultuous changes.