Choosing Hope #1: Where’s the optimism?

(First in a week-long series on hope and optimism for the future.)

When I was in elementary school, the teacher would turn on a projector and pull down the screen in the front of the class and we’d watch grainy film clips of Astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon and saying, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

I hear those words and I still get goosebumps. The future was bright and full of hope.

Image by NASA.

A few years later in junior high school in 1981, we watched wide-eyed as the Space Shuttle Columbia rocketed into orbit and landed for the first time, ushering in a new age of space travel. (Of course, we were stunned in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up, killing six astronauts and schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. But even then, we went back into space, stronger and braver than before.)

These memories remind me that we used to look to the future with excitement and optimism. There’s a cloud now of frustration and hate. We seem to have lost that can-do, pioneer spirit.

It’s not just me who thinks people are more pessimistic.

Last October, Gallup, the polling firm, reported that optimism about young people’s chances of having greater success than their parents had dropped to record lows. According to the study, just 42% of U.S. adults think today’s youth will have a better life (homes, education, etc.) than their parents.

Image by NASA.

Likewise, a PewResearch Center poll in April reported that 66% of American adults believe the U.S. economy will be “weaker” in 2050. In addition, 71% of Americans think the U.S. will be “less important” than it is today, and 77% predict greater domestic political division.

We’re more apprehensive and fearful and that worries me. I got to thinking about my own perceptions after fellow blogger Kym Gordon Moore wrote eloquently in May about hope in her post, The Fragility of Life. It got me thinking about my own beliefs. Here’s a few facts that give me hope for a better future:

We’re healthier and living longer. 

People worldwide are living longer. Today most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. Every country in the world is experiencing growth in the size and the proportion of older persons in the population. By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over.

Whether you live in the United States, where life expectancy at birth is 79 years, the United Kingdom (81 years), or India (67 years), there has never been a better time to live into old age, according to data from the Population Division of the United Nations.

Image by Mikael Blomkvist via Pexels.

We’re more diverse.

Every week there seems to be a new story about how we can’t get along with others. There are racial struggles and political discontent whether in the U.S. or around the globe. Two weeks ago, Uganda’s President signed one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and a 20-year sentence for “promoting” homosexuality. Closer to home, there have been numerous arguments over sexual preferences and increased censorship challenges. A poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after a parental complaint. In addition, a number of books by homosexual and non-white voices have been censored in school libraries across the country.

These are steps back, but there are still incredible gains. For example, we’re talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion like never before. I can remember not that long ago, when people of different sexual preferences often lived in a closet, lest they be taunted or ostracized. We’re truly becoming the melting pot we claim to be.

Fewer people living in poverty

Since 1990, the world’s population has increased by 2.5 billion people, but more than one billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. According to the World Bank, two-thirds of the world lives on less than $10 per day and every tenth person lives on less than $1.90 per day, but the number of people living in absolute poverty has fallen with every decade. 

In addition, World Bank data shows that younger generations are progressively better educated and the number of people who have zero formal education is on the decline.

The gains represent a small part of the picture. I could point to greater disease prevention, decreases in violence, tech improvements, and even environmental gains. (Yes, scientists still worry about the rise in global temperatures and CO2 emissions, but several major polluters have seen significant decreases.)

There’s no question that life can be a struggle, we can be greedy and horrible to each other, but when we focus 24/7 on the negative, we miss out on the good and, oh, yes, there is good too. There is kindness and generosity. Like Neil Armstrong, we need to step forward into the future with hope and optimism and take a giant leap for mankind.