The need for an optimistic and future-oriented mindset in Europe
Most of us agree: we are lucky in Europe to have a great history, a rich culture and a good quality of life. However, the past is the past and it is no guarantee of the future.
We first have to realize one thing: Europe has already lost its place of world leader and is progressively becoming less and less Important in the world relatively to the progress of other countries.
100 years ago, the European countries, individually, were the most prominent on Earth. They were at the forefront of scientific, technological, philosophical and societal progress.
But today, even joined all together in the European Union, we lag behind other great powers like the United States and China. And other parts of the world are progressing much faster than us. It is not that we are bad, we still have brains, we still contribute to science. But we innovate less and have less desire to build the world of tomorrow. We are more pessimistic about the future and more afraid of change.
What will it be like in 100 years, or even 30 years, if we continue like this?
It is not enough to rest on our laurels, it is not enough to protect our past glory. Of course, we can be proud of Plato and Aristotle, of the Roman Empire and of the Age of Enlightenment. But today, we spend too much time debating what our countries used to be like, we are almost too proud of it, and forget to look at what is really happening in the world.
Our greatest talents are leaving. Many people have the impression that they live in the worst times of human history, many believe that humanity is doomed to failure. Sometimes to the point that it is preventing them to want to build anything in this life, or anything for the future of humanity. Our countries display a blatant lack of optimism.
Technology wise, we have produced almost no major innovations for several decades. We missed the last technological waves. Our institutions seek to pass laws to regulate new technologies, such as AI, before we understand, before we have even had a chance to innovate ourselves, resulting in a reduction in our own capacity to invent and to create competitive innovative ecosystems in our countries.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to innovate to remain the world's leading power, they approach creation with the aim of building tomorrow's world and conquering it. China is pursuing its plan to overtake the United States, and the other major emerging countries (far more populous than ours) are joining forces and doing everything they can to develop at high speed.
We are not going to stop humanity, we are not going to stop innovation, we are not going to stop countries that, quite rightly, have a strong desire to become great powers. The problem is not our decreasing share of the world’s economy or innovation, others have the right to grow, but rather our own “alarming” situation.
If we don't build the future, someone else will. The future is built and shaped by those who act. If we continue like this, we will be left behind, and sooner than we think. If this happens, our economies will get even weaker, our talents will leave more, and we will loose part of what used to make Europe great.
We have wonderful countries, we have the potential to do great things, we can build a great future for Europe and humanity. But to do so, we absolutely need to adopt the right mindset. We need to look at the future with optimism and we need to want to build it.
