Making the world a better place is not simply about the glass being half full or half empty;
it is both at the same time. With the complexity of global trends comes major challenges,
and one cannot say that one perception is correct and the other incorrect. It is much more
complicated than that. We have an emergence of those who see the future as promising and
perhaps even more harmonious than we have ever imagined, as well as those who believe
that we are declining and ruining ourselves. A number of institutions, groups, governments,
and individuals have taken these challenges to humanity seriously-have "seen the light"-
and are trying to do something about the future state of the world.
This book describes two sides to the future our children stand to inherit: the glass half full
and the glass half empty of what has been the trajectory of the world, it seems, since the
beginning of human history. The arc of human progress has at times taken major leaps
forward; at other times it appears to have lain dormant, only to burst forth with a new
energy at a later time. In this collection of writings, we have attempted to show both sides
of the picture because to do otherwise would leave this endeavor incomplete. Depicting
only the negative would lead one to think that there is nothing positive moving us forward;
depicting only the positive would suggest that we have no further work to do.
