Essay on the article of Yuval Noah Harari “on what year 2050 has in store for humankind”

Kseniia Lapan

The article of Yuval Noah Harari has evoked many emotions in me. It made me feel
overwhelmed and discouraged by the dismal prospects for the humankind that he describes.
We live in the era of great achievements and technological progress. And our life may seem
solid, sustainable and well-adjusted. However, the very core of our existence is as fragile as
never before.
The problems raised by Yuval Noah Harari correspond with me and my generation. As
before the Information Age the lack of knowledge complicated the process of choosing, so
does now the abundance of information lead to confusion and misconceptions. I see the
indecisiveness being a real struggle. The variety of possibilities stresses the mind out,
because it cannot process all of them thoroughly, and the probability of a wrong choice
increases. But decisions are impossible to avoid, and we all need to learn to make choices no
matter how wrenching and life-altering they are. Moreover, the concept of prosperity and
success that runs in our society puts high expectations on students. To stay relevant
professionally and socially we need to always keep abreast and stay perceptive to the slightest
manifestations of life. No wonder that youngsters easily break under this pressure and despite
all the opportunities provided in today’s world, they often end up lost, drowning in this sea of
unfulfilled chances and wasted potential.
This unpredictable course of life compels us to search for the balance inside. I believe it is
important to find your fulcrum of existence that will keep you grounded and bonded with
reality no matter how challenging or ever-changing it gets. To me, uncertainty itself does not
seem dangerous, because everything in our world was born out of chaos. I see diving into the
unknown as the catalyst for growth and inner development. To resist change is to make it
even more painful. Acceptance of your ignorance, inability and lack of control is sometimes
the only way to move forward. I believe that by trusting the world around you and letting it
guide you we can achieve more than by constant fighting. I believe that in the world where a
profound uncertainty is the new reality, the one thing that will function as an anchor of your
existence and will keep you on the surface of the rapidly changing world is mental health. It
is necessary to learn how to take care of your mind and body, build psychological defences
and be a self-sufficient person. The one thing that has guided me through the hardest periods
of my life when I felt lost and overwhelmed by chops and changes was the inner stability.
Realising that I have enough resources in me to cope with outer chaos and rely on myself
instead of searching for external constants.
But how do you find this inner strength to cope with the outer chaos? I agree with Harari on
the idea that self-knowledge is essential for our well-being. To truly know your sincerest
wishes and stay in touch with yourself is to be free from the harmful influences of the outside
world. I see it as a natural process of growing up. To become an adult is to start questioning
everything you have been told as a kid to get rid of the useless imposed patterns and ideas,
and rearrange your life, making it truly yours. Separation allows youngsters to establish their
own social attitudes and values, that were acquired during this “on your own” time.
I can also relate to the problem of privacy that has been mentioned in this text. Indeed, in the
world where social interactions determine the viability of an individual and people are
encouraged to always be part of something, it can be challenging to establish personal
boundaries and protect your freedom. As a young person you are very susceptible to external
influence, because you are still in the process of character building. But I don’t agree with the
statement of Harari that I have to run faster to have control over my existence. I believe I am
better off living at my own pace. Slow enough to perceive phenomena around me, fast
enough to react to them. The last three years have been a rollercoaster of difficult emotions
and events for me. I was forced to deal with huge changes in my life and I have learned to
stand on my own the hard way. I knew I could handle it, because I was not going to let this
“heat” burn me from inside.
To conclude, unfortunately we do live in the time of great fragility and uncertainty. But we
are the ones responsible for all our decisions. And every single one of them directly
influences our present and determines our future. The year of 2050 can get as radical,
challenging and incredible as it would like, as long as we are able to act on it, we will find
our way back to the very meaning of being human.