As a species we have been fear mongering for centuries. Now it is time to acknowledge that there is a lot to be positive about too, says Sam Butterfield, 14, from St Clement Danes School.
Pope Innocent II said the world would end in 1284. The world was supposedly meant to end on first day of January 2000 because of a computer bug. The Mayans thought it would end in 2012.
Unsurprisingly, we are still here and have not been obliterated by an asteroid or colonised by aliens.
However, this existential worry and fear reaches into almost every aspect of our daily lives and the media we consume.
You will rarely see anything particularly positive at the first glance of a news website. For instance, at the time of writing, the top page of the BBC was about the war in Iran, three tragic deaths on a cruise ship and the UK’s crippling debt problem. On another news source, there was an article on military conscription age in the UK, as if WWIII were just around the corner.
Reading this, it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling hopeless.
Employment is down. Inflation is up. But this is all we ever hear. Why are these articles, newsreels and social media posts trying to convince you that the planet is spiralling into its impending doom?
The people behind them want you to watch or read and then like, comment or share them. Mainstream media will always gravitate towards something gripping and emotive, something the reader will read out of a sense or obligation, or through fear of it affecting them directly.
I am not saying you should look away and live in a bubble of purposeful ignorance: it is important to stay up to date with politics and current affairs, as long make sure you use reputable news sources. What I am saying is that having news of the world’s current event at our fingertips 24/7 is mentally exhausting, and it is very easy to think we are “cooked”.
But we are definitely not heading towards ruin. We are actually in a golden age of technology. We can create electricity literally from the motion of the wind or the sun’s light, neither of which are going to run out any time soon (with no CO2 emissions either).
Our medical care is as good as it has ever been and 153 countries can offer free or universal healthcare to at least 90% of their populations. We have completely eradicated smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases to affect humankind in history, not to mention the fact we had a vaccine for Covid within barely a year of the outbreak.
Despite this, we only ever hear of the negative sides of humanities’ actions and how it is supposed to destroy us in the future: “news” that is just seems to be more engaging to an audience than more positive stories.
We are not reminded enough of the world’s resilience and people’s ability to thrive even when faced with catastrophes. It is important to keep positive though, because whatever happens, humans always adapt and never lose hope.
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Reference: How Many Countries in The World Have Free Healthcare in 2025?