The world is on fire. It is a common sentiment that we have grown up with. Whether with economic, politics, or technology, it seems like every aspect of life is failing. But is this actually true and what do we think?

“I want a future where everyone can go to sleep without thinking of the impending terror of tomorrow,” senior A. Theo said when asked about their ideal future.

“I want the world to ultimately curve towards progress and unity, through the diversity of our nations,” sophomore Lorelei Wise said when asked the same question.

And while all of these show a positive outlook on the future and all want the world to be a better place; when asked if they think this is possible they all said some version of no, “I can really only hope.” sophomore Lorelei Wise said.

“I think it is being prevented because people don’t know how to accept and be kind,” freshman Addison McCarthy said.

But we aren’t alone in thinking that the future is failing. Every generation had their own version of the world failing, whether it’s Y2K or the 2012 Mayan calendar phenomenon. But, all of these “world-enders” have already happened, so what do the people who experienced them first-hand think about the world?

“The world-ender was Y2K, the year 2000,” Mr. Eversole said. The fear behind Y2K was that the computers would all malfunction when the year rolled over from (19)99 to (20)00. People thought that computers would think it was 1900 which would cause failure in systems that use computers.

“I remember hearing someone on the news saying that if it wasn’t fixed, airplane would fall from the sky and prisons would be letting all of their prisoners out,” Mr. Jarrett said. “We learned later that there was a lot of actual work that went on behind the scenes to prevent catastrophe, but the general worry by the public was unwarranted,” Mr. Eversole said. So, while the public feared the end, a group had hope and knew what to do to help.

But, it can be hard to find hope, to find the way to look at the future longingly and hope for an ideal future and know how to help. Every time you look for an optimistic outlook on the world you find five more people who show a pessimistic one. But there are places to view positive outlooks on the future. Cleo Abram and Kurzgesagt are great examples of YouTubers spreading knowledge and showing positives to modern and future technology. News websites like Good News Network and Positive News show just general wholesome news around the world. And while the world may seem bleak and evil, there are always going to be people using the now to help the future. There’s always going to be someone keeping hope for the future, and maybe we should join them.