Is Our World Broken?

Being a human in the 21st century often feels frustrating. We are clearly at the high point of our species, while at the same time life is incredibly hard! We are divided, unable to solve our problems while creating new ones, destroying our world in the process. In many ways the vibe is that we live in dark times. But as Terry Pratchett said, we are the storytelling ape, we think in narratives and live in a network of stories that make up our world. So without minimizing the darkness, we want to add a story that we find helpful for dealing with the world.

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The 12,025 Human Era Calendar is here! Celebrate humanity’s epic journey with breathtaking art and inspiring stories about the great human journey.

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0:00 Start
1:10 The First Moment That Ever Was
4:35 Earth is Truly Ours Now
8:59 12,025 Calendar Reveal

[kurzgesagt]

✨ IT’S FINALLY HERE! ✨ The 12, 025 Human Era Calendar has just dropped! It’s packed with breathtaking art and epic stories that celebrate humanity’s incredible journey

[alexroselle]

“We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.”
— E. O. Wilson

[vedatylmaz-uqvf]

This is the main reason I love this channel. Optimism is so rare in this world that its almost non-existent.

[dragon-like-tendencies]

"Society becomes great when old men plant trees in whose shade they will never grow old in."

[art_ik]

If you look at news, the world feels like we are living in worst times
If you look at history, the world feels like the best time to live...

[JosemaríaVargas-jh]

There are times when I just wish to be alone. Not forever, but just for a moment, or at least a day. To be alone on a deserted island at sunset, and do just one thing: think. This world changes so quickly; some want to improve it, while others want to make it worse. Social media, friends, hypocrisy, change… everything is so fast-paced. Sometimes it’s easy to ignore, but when you stop to think about it… it’s tough. Years go by, and we think we’re moving in a direction, only to realize in the end that we’ve been walking in circles.

Yes, the world needs to progress, but if every person in this world took a moment to stop, get to know themselves, accept themselves, help others, and strive to be their best version, I’m sure the world would already change.

[meg]

Why did this make me want to cry? I really appreciate the nuanced perspective here, that life rn is so much easier and more prosperous than ever before, and at the same time it's so much harder and more complex than it ever has been. There's a quote from a show I really like called New Amsterdam where the main character says "we all think the system is too big to change, but we are the system, and we have to change". Changing our story and our mindset is the first step to changing the world.

I just want to add one missing piece to the story you told: cooperation. We have survived this long because we learned to work together, to respect and protect each other, to work for the common good of others, and to be of service. This is as much as part of the human story as struggle, competition, war, and killing. Maybe we can focus on the good we can do when we work together and care for each other. That is not naive, that is the key to our success as a species and we are forgetting its vital importance. Great video!

[arts]

“We are these amazingly powerful beings that have not awoken to their potential.”

This one got me, it is so true. So many of us are spending all of our time just trying to survive. If instead those people had the free time to pursue something that would benefit all of us our world could be so much better so much faster.

[HeisenbergFam]

"We are divided, unable to solve problems while creating new ones"

Most accurate description of humanity

[WebMonkey]

Your video reminded me of one of my favourite quotes:

“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.”
― Edward O. Wilson

[buffduckstudios]

Thank you Kurzgesagt. You helped me soften an enormous feeling of pain, depression, and self hate by just reminding me about the brighter possibilities in this world. For a while now, I was convinced that life wasn't even worth living because of how the world is. I'm crying because you helped me. You gave me hope, and a belief that there is always a chance for someone like me. Thank you for helping me find reason to live.

[javiervillalba]

LOVED SO MUCH THE TERRY PRATTCHETT REFERENCE!!!

He made my teenage years bearavable and that is the highest praise I can give to such a great writer

[johnathanhughes]

This video hits on one thing that we simply don't think about anywhere near enough.

I was a teacher until a couple of weeks ago. I finished my job so that I could focus on a PhD.

It's not a PhD in something that's going to change the world; whilst it fascinates me, I'm really doing this so that I have the qualifications to be a lecturer instead of a teacher.

But here's the thing . . .

1) I won't starve whilst I do this study (which will take at least 3 years). I'll have the resources to pull through. As little as a couple of centuries ago, that would have required me to be rich beyond the dreams of most people, but I can do this as a normal middle class person.

2) I'm doing this from a desk in my own comfortable home. Most of my work is done on a powerful computer. When I need a break, I'll go and put the kettle on and have a coffee. If I get too cold, I have plenty of clothing and the option of heating the home; as I go through the burning hot Sydney summer, I'll have air conditioning. Just think about the amount of energy at my command (much of which comes from the solar panels on my roof).

3) The critical books I need surround me. When I need more, I'll be able to go to one of several libraries (either a short drive away or by public transport). In addition the latest information flies to me on a network of wires and radio waves.

Just picture this in the context of our ancestors. I am wealthy beyond their dreams. I have power beyond their dreams. I have knowledge beyond their dreams.

And I'm not a king, a sorcerer of a great philosopher. I'm just a normal human!

Yes, there are drastic problems, and there's a reason a lot of people despair. But I think we forget just how much we have, and how amazing our age is.

[Temriel]

the optimism is so strong in this channel its genuinely gonna make me cry - im hopeful :D

[jonathanwarner]

This is why education should teach people how to think, rather than just how to do something by the book. People don’t know how to ask the right questions, generally.

[MissBlackMetal]

This was hands-down the most inspirational, hopefully video and message I've seen in my life.

Seriously. I decided 10 years ago that I wouldn't have kids for many reasons, one of the big ones being "I don't want to doom my child to a dying world." This is the first and only message that has genuinely made me stop and think if I could be wrong about that.

Regardless of whether I have kids (I still almost certainly won't for many other big reasons), this video gave me a new perspective on what I saw as an extremely bleak future. Thank you for that! <3

[Casper-TheMaineCoon]

I struggle with depression and have a very pessimistic view on the world, this helped me a lot. Thank you

Edit: Thank you all for the likes and replies but I'd like to clarify that I still have a pessimistic (or rather realistic) mindset and that this video hasn't really done much for my overall well being. I just watched this at lunch while at school and it helped me in the MOMENT, however, not much has changed, in fact it feels like I've only been getting worse. But don't worry, I'm doing alright, just a few dark thoughts sometimes

[Laiton_et_Celluloid]

I see "we made an uplifting video" in my feed on the phone, and lift up to put the video in my computer, and NOW i find "Is our World Broken?"

[naftez]

Guys, I love your videos so much! Sometimes they make me cry, sometimes they make me laugh and sometimes they give me so much hope for the future. I hope that my life and the things I'm doing make the world a better place, at least a little bit. I bought a calendar, an earth plushi and a mug to support you but also because I think there is no youtube channel that gives me so much emotion and joy. Please keep doing what you are doing, you are amazing!

[normlang]

Humankind will never reach its ultimate potential until GREED is no longer a factor.