I don’t want to dwell on citing situations or indicators of how bad 2022 was because in general terms, we all know them for the most part. Of course, it is always one of lime and one of sand because there was also good news, world trade in goods grew by 10% and that of services by 15%.
Life itself is like that, there are always things that are good and others that are not. The point is balance and expectations.
The world population grows. In 1950 the population was 2.5 billion people, today we are 8 billion and it is estimated that we will be 9.7 billion in 2050.
New demands arise daily. From food production, to education, security, health, construction and any area that affects our lives, they undergo changes. The road may be straight only at times, mostly it will be winding, with ups, downs, curves and potholes, but we know that the world we knew a short time ago will not be the same in a few more years. Perhaps, as part of the current balance, we can point out that it is no longer the same and that 2022 encountered several bumps.
There are many challenges to solve and there always will be, even when the current ones have been solved or fulfilled. Of course, there are very severe problems that require a prompt solution, such as climate change, although I am positive and my expectations push me to trust that the world, at least for our children’s generation, will be better than the current one.
Where do those expectations come from?
In the 20th century, people’s life expectancy increased by 30 years. Dying at 40 in 1900 was commonplace and although today – depending on the country – the expectation is around 75 years, it is believed that the generation that will live 125 years has already been born. Currently you can grow meat, desalinate salt water to make it drinkable, produce clean energy on a large scale, among many other advances that invite me to think that we are not so bad and that the trend is positive.
Max Roser, an economist at the University of Oxford, published six graphs on his website a few years ago that show how in the last two centuries we have improved, and remarkably, in terms of extreme poverty, basic education, literacy, people living in democracy, Vaccines and infant mortality.
Despite this, some consider that we are worse off than before. As Roser explains in an interview given to El País in Spain, “positive changes take a long time”, since trends are built over decades or even centuries. Instead, our psychology makes us pay more attention to negative events, because they could pose a danger. Hence, we often have not-so-good expectations, based on a bad balance.
We are certain that the demands of society will continue to change. There will be good years and bad years, but the transformation towards a world different from the current one is a fact. It is important as entrepreneurs to adapt and take advantage of the opportunities that come our way. There will be changes that we will cause and others that we must take due to external factors, but we will have to change.
We are much better than before and the future will be better than today, even though the storm has not calmed down. It will not be the same. We will not be the same. Neither do our companies, if they want to survive successfully.
The balance may not have been very good, we may have a complex 2023, but wow, what good years ahead of us!
HRC Partner
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
