Freedom, Empathy, and Mutual Support

By Scot Noel

Signs of Hope: How We're Growing Closer as a Global Family

While in some respects, the world may seem to be backsliding toward intolerance, division, and authoritarianism…there are also deep-rooted trends moving humanity toward greater freedom, empathy, and mutual support. Turn on the news, and you'll see plenty of division, conflict, and fear. That’s how the news works. And while all dark narratives are not false, certainly there is a reporting bias in that direction.

But there's another story happening too— one that doesn't often make headlines but is just as real and far more hopeful.

Take the digital revolution that has happened within my lifetime. I remember when connecting with someone across the country meant very expensive phone calls or letters that took almost a week to travel one way. International communication was rare in everyday life. Now, grandparents chat face-to-face with grandchildren across continents, in real-time. Activists coordinate global movements from their phones. Students in remote villages can access world-class education using mobile devices.

During recent global challenges, these connections proved more valuable than ever. When physical doors closed, digital windows opened wide. Platforms like Zoom became our meeting rooms, classrooms, and family gathering spaces. WhatsApp groups turned into lifelines of support and information sharing. Social media, for all its flaws, gave voice to those who had long gone unheard.

It's Not Just Technology— It’s What We're Doing with It.

Have you heard of Eneza Education in Kenya? They looked at a big problem -millions of kids without access to quality education- and found a practical solution. Instead of waiting for schools to be built or teachers to be trained, they turned basic mobile phones into powerful learning platforms. Using simple text messages, they've helped over 12 million students across Africa learn and grow, proving that innovation doesn't always need the latest tech or the biggest investment to make a difference.

This kind of democratized education is happening everywhere. Online learning platforms like Coursera and Khan Academy are delivering knowledge that was once locked behind university walls. YouTube channels are teaching everything from quantum physics to car repair, all for free.

When people have access to education, amazing things happen. They escape poverty. They solve problems in their communities. They teach others what they've learned. It's like a chain reaction of positive change, with each success creating new opportunities for others.

Social Justice Movements

Worldwide communication on the scale of the everyday empowers the spread of ideas; both for good and for ill. But at least it is a competition, and ideas do matter.

Take the story of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. These movements started small— one voice, then another, then millions. Using simple hashtags and social media, they've sparked worldwide conversations about racism, harassment, and the need for social change. It's like watching a wave build from ripples to a powerful force that can resist and even overcome oppression.

What makes these movements work? They tap into something basic in all of us— the desire to help others and make things better. When someone shares their story on social media, it encourages both empathy and for others to speak up too. Soon, those individual voices become a chorus that can be hard to ignore.

Those loud cries of opposition from reactionary forces only serve to underscore how effective global calls for freedom, empathy, and mutual support can be.

People are More than Widgets in the Economic Machine

Among other things rarely seen in doomscrolling are the efforts of a handful of governments to make life better for everyone, recognizing their citizens as more than ciphers. These include Scotland’s National Performance Framework (incorporating wellbeing into its budget and policy decisions), Canada’s Wellbeing Index, New Zealand’s Wellbeing Budget, and Bhutan’s measure of Gross National Happiness.

Let’s take a look at Bhutan, a small Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas with a population of less than a million. They don't just track their Gross National Product— they measure Gross National Happiness. The GNH index is used to set goals for five-year plans, allocate resources, and design programs. It's also being considered as a criterion for the Resource Allocation Formulae (RAF), which determines how resources are distributed in Bhutan

Here's what Bhutan has embraced as policy:

•    Making sure the government works for everyone
•    Growing the economy without hurting people or nature
•    Protecting the environment

Around the world, societies today recognize that we're all connected. It’s true that both good voices and bad are fighting to be heard, but what happens in one place affects everyone else. That's why initiatives like The Global Fund can be successful. Working with governments, communities, and the private sector, The Global Fund is the world's largest multilateral provider of grants for health systems. Since 2002, the Global Fund has helped save over 65 million lives and reduced the combined death rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 61%. In 2023, the Global Fund reached a milestone by putting more people on treatment for HIV and TB than ever before.

In our own neighborhoods, we see this connection every day. When disaster strikes or times get tough, people step up to help each other. Food banks, volunteer groups, and local charities show us what's possible when we work together.

Is everything perfect? Far from it. We face big challenges and there's plenty of conflict in the world. But here's the thing: the choice is ours. We can focus on what divides us, or we can build on these promising trends. Every small act of kindness, every voice raised for justice, every hand extended in friendship— it all adds up. Will the current turmoil of society win out and reverse these trends for the time being? Well, that's up to each of us, isn't it?

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Hope is not an illusion; it's a perspective backed by engagement with the world, whatever the condition of the world may be. Like the crew of the Enterprise, we don't expect everyone to share our values, only that we will engage them with ours, and in the course of doing so, possibly, just possilby, win a better future.

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