bhaskar saikia

We live in an age where the world claims to be more connected, more advanced, and more prosperous than ever before. But is that really true?

Strip away the glitter of social media, the facade of technological progress, the engineered feel-good narratives of advertising and media—what do we find?

A world that is still broken. A world where the rich grow richer and the poor fade into silence. A world where wars are not relics of the past but recurring headlines. A world where peace is promised, yet never delivered.

A Peaceful World—Just a Sales Pitch?

After every war, comes a promise: “Never again.” But somehow, it always happens again.

Decades after the formation of the United Nations—an institution born from the ashes of war—the frequency of armed conflicts has not decreased. Some argue, it’s increased. In fact, we spend more on military than ever before.

William H. Kötke wrote in The Final Empire that ‘……the combined military expenditures of all the world’s governments in 1987 were so large that all of the social programs of the United Nations could be financed for 300 hundred years by this expenditure.’

Now imagine what that figure looks like today.

Still, hunger exists. Poverty remains. Inequality deepens.

It begs the question—are we even trying to fix the world, or are we pretending to?

A Mirage of Progress

Yes, we have better gadgets. Faster cars. Smarter phones. We can swipe, scroll, and stream with incredible ease.
But has our humanity improved?

• Are we kinder?
• Are we wiser?
• Are we truly more fulfilled?

The sad answer: not really.

Technology has given us more access but less depth. We’ve become addicted to attention, validation, and noise. Life has become a competition of lifestyles, where image trumps integrity. We chase “likes” on virtual platforms but have forgotten how to listen to each other in real life.

We throw birthday parties for the camera, not the people. The joy is lost somewhere between the selfie flash and the upload button.

The Illusion of Economic Growth

Our global economy appears to be growing, but at what cost?

• Environmental destruction is rampant despite endless climate summits.
• Healthcare advancements exist, yet millions still die from preventable diseases.
• Financial systems collapse and reset in cycles driven by greed—1987, 2000, 2008, 2020….. who’s next?

Even our idea of economic prosperity is a mirage—propped up by debt, fueled by overconsumption, and rooted in inequality.

The world has changed, yes—but has it changed for the better?

What Has Technology Actually Given Us?

Not peace. Not wisdom. Not fulfillment.

Mostly, it has given us despair in disguise—packaged in sleek designs and glowing screens. It has taken our attention away from what truly matters, and replaced real joy with dopamine-driven distractions.

We’re not dreaming anymore—we’re just scrolling.

Why the World Stays Broken

Because people make money from your happiness. And they make even more when you’re unhappy and trying to buy your way back to peace.

That’s why the party must go on. That’s why media will always sell you “hope,” while the system continues to sell weapons.

And we? We keep buying it all.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

The point of this isn’t to breed hopelessness. It’s a call to clarity.

The world may not have changed much—but you can.

• You can live more meaningfully.
• You can disconnect from the noise.
• You can refuse to be fooled by headlines and hashtags.
• You can seek truth, question power, and stay human in a dehumanized world.

Because even if the world isn’t better, you still have the power to be better.