Human ingenuity knows no bounds. So why can’t we have nice things? Discover the biggest obstacles to progress that prevent us from living in a Utopia.
Corruption
Those at the top who control our resources are bathed in corruption. Society can’t have nice things because our rulers bend the laws to their own benefit.
Greed
Corruption stems from greed. Despite our intelligence, we haven’t overcome our base instincts to hoard resources. Those at the top are like dogs who eat everything in front of them until their stomachs burst. They can’t fathom not taking the resource when it’s there.
Gravity
Humans have escaped Earth’s gravity to orbit the planet and land on the moon, but we haven’t found an efficient way of doing it. The immense amount of energy it takes to conquer gravity makes exploration difficult. It’s an obstacle to progress that’s not based on humanity’s inherent flaws.
Tribalism
We can’t get over our “us vs. them” mentality. Our instinct towards tribalism is holding us back. We won’t achieve our full potential until we stop viewing other people as enemies.
Inability to Distinguish Fact from Opinion
Far too many people shout their opinions as if they’re definitive truths. When people can’t distinguish fact from opinion, they elevate opinions over truth, preventing progress.
Fear
A lot of our current issues stem from fear. We’re afraid of the unknown, fearful of change, frightened if we give someone else a hand up, we’ll hurt ourselves. These fears stem from a scarcity mindset; we need to overcome it to progress as a species.
Inefficient Electricity Transfer and Storage
Though we can make electricity using solar and wind technologies, so much is lost while storing and transferring that we barely break even. If we could find ways to harness, transfer, and store this energy efficiently, we’d end our reliance on fossil fuels.
Lack of Empathy
The world would be a better place if everyone could understand the full breadth of human experience. Unfortunately, far too many people lack empathy for their fellow man. They’ll make laws stripping people of their human rights and only realize how problematic they are when it affects them personally.
Religion
Many religions reject progress, as, in their view, it goes against the word of God (which is really the word of a man who lived thousands of years ago). They fight against equal rights for women, reject education, and denounce science because their god says those things are wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, people are and should be free to worship whichever god however they choose. However, when that worship becomes an obstacle to humanity’s progress, it becomes problematic. We must stop letting religious beliefs hinder progress.
Can’t Agree on Progress
A society can’t progress when we can’t agree on what progress is. Some think progress means building spaceships that travel to distant lands, while others believe it’s learning to appreciate the world we have. Everyone has their own definition of progress. We’ll never do anything if we can’t agree upon what to do.
Ego
Perhaps we could progress more if people weren’t overly concerned with who received credit for which innovation. People hid their ideas for fear of theft while dismissing new ideas to keep their names in the spotlight. We’ll never progress until we stop gatekeeping scientific discovery.
Anti-Intellectualism
It’s impossible to progress when a large subset of your society scoffs at science and reason. Anti-intellectuals actively prevent progress by scorning knowledge in all its forms and working towards keeping everyone trapped in ignorance.
Overcome Obstacles to Progress
How do we overcome these obstacles to progress and advance as a society?
People smarter than me don’t know the answer. I think a focus on education and a cultural shift towards caring more about others rather than our current obsession with rugged individualism will help a lot, but don’t ask me how to make those things happen.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Is America Actually Dystopian?
Although there are many fantastic things about living in the US, some of our systems and laws leave many scratching their heads, wondering if we’re already living in a dystopian nightmare.
Here’s the evidence that makes us wonder if America is actually a dystopia.
Meet the People Responsible for Our Current Progress
Science changed the world. These famous scientists helped make our future what it is today.