The absolute 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 high quality of life. However, all great civilizations fall sooner or later. The past is no guarantee of the future.

We are already not what we were a century ago. 100 years ago, the European countries, individually, were the most powerful in the world. They were at the forefront of scientific, technological, philosophical and societal progress.

Today, even joined together in the European Union, we lag behind other great powers like the United States and China. And we are progressing much more slowly than the rest of the world. We innovate less, are afraid of change, are more pessimistic about the future, have too much negativity in our public discourses, and have less desire to build the world of tomorrow.

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 for other places like the US. When our young people talk about the future, their discourse is often full of despair, many believe that humanity is doomed to failure.

We have produced almost no major technological inventions for several decades. Our institutions seek to pass laws to regulate new technologies, such as AI, 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 no longer the land of thinkers and inventors that inspires the whole world. Today, we are seen as a nice touristic destination and a large economic market in which to sell goods and services, but also as a too old bureaucratic system and as people who believe themselves to be self-righteous, while their future is uninspiring.

On internet, Europeans like to laugh at Americans because "they have no history or culture", but Americans laugh at Europeans because "they have no future".

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 the beginning of our own downfall.

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.

We have wonderful countries, we have the potential to do something great, 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.