An excellent piece. It is unfortunate that humans are so keen on using every difference to turn other human beings into something lesser than them. Trevor Noah's autobiography contains some awful stories of black on black violence for no other reason than some archaic tribal relationships. In the US we now have a president and supporting political party who are intentionally using hatred of others and racism to embolden a once quiet minority (but barely, unfortunately) of American who are quick to want someone to blame for their woes. So yes, we need good leaders, unfortunately, the US had a leader under Obama who tried to unify, but because of his race and party was vilified. I'm afraid this is human nature, but it does not bode well for our future, especially on a planet where the climate crisis is going to bring even more pressure and instability on populations. The mass migrations we are seeing now, are likely nothing compared to what we will see in the future. As developed countries swing more and more toward nationalism, we can expect even more oppression and violence. As a scientist, seeing all the collaboration going on with science on the internet, I have great hope for humankind, but when I look at our broader societies, political, and economic systems, I'm afraid that I'm very worried about the future.
Thanks Todd I appreciate your feedback and your experienced insights. Tribalism and nationalism are based on a village mentality, as opposed to seeing all people as members of one global village. Human nature does seem a bit immature still ,like a child. You would think we had better realization by now. We have come some way though, for example when we see the EU - nations have united much more than in previous centuries where they fought wars more regularly. Now we just need the continents to unite, although even with the UN we have not succeeded yet. Collaborations in science, as you say, like the International Space Station, set a good example of team work beyond borders, while ironically on the ground the same nations may be at loggerheads with each other, like America and Russia. It does seem odd. Let's hope wars will keep decreasing, until it becomes clear to all civilization that they are outdated.