We live in a complex era, a surreal landscape where the tectonic plates of geopolitics, planetary instability, and technology shift at dizzying speed. Conflicts that once felt remote now enter our daily consciousness in real time. Democratic norms are contested, climate extremes are accelerating, and artificial intelligence is reshaping how information, labor, and responsibility are distributed.

The United States, long positioned as a defender of constitutional values, is grappling with internal polarization and growing challenges to academic freedom and scientific independence. In Europe, nationalist movements gain traction amid economic anxiety, migration pressures, and war on the continent. The conflict in Ukraine continues to destabilize security architectures, while violence in the Middle East reverberates far beyond the region.

Meanwhile, signs that the planet’s health is worsening are unmistakable. Last year was among the warmest on record globally, with average temperatures far above long-term baselines and heat driving more extreme weather worldwide. In 2025, brutal heatwaves baked much of the Indian subcontinent with temperatures near 48 °C, stressing health systems and agriculture across India and Pakistan. Europe and the Mediterranean faced record wildfires and prolonged heat, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate and worsening drought conditions. Elsewhere, catastrophic flooding struck multiple regions: Central Texas saw deadly flash floods that killed over 130 people, and parts of Asia, including Sumatra and South Asia’s monsoon belt, suffered deadly floods and landslides affecting millions. These events are part of a growing pattern of intensified extremes reshaping where and how people can live. Layered onto this volatile context is the rapid expansion of generative AI.

The result is an intensifying conundrum of political, social, environmental and cognitive

© Psychology Today