The End of the Illusion: Humanity Reimagines Identity, Democracy, and the Role of the Global South

Right now, humanity is undergoing another reevaluation of all values, where the illusory peace from the final understanding of "good" and "evil" has been replaced by uncertainty about whether justice even exists. This reevaluation is caused by several discoveries.

First, it turned out that democracy is not yet the end of history. There can be countries without a hint of democracy, but at the same time with stable economic growth. In the 1990s, it was believed that wealth was synonymous with democracy, because the mythical "middle class" was supposed to push their own countries to protect rights and freedoms. But now the "middle class" in many countries simply remains silent if there is an opportunity to just make money.

Secondly, the Global South is becoming an influential factor in world politics, as former colonies can dictate terms to their historical metropolises. At the same time, resources and technologies are becoming available to everyone, even to those who were on the periphery yesterday. And this is at least an arithmetic majority of humanity. Therefore, the golden billion turned out to be made of tinfoil.

Thirdly, the Global South itself is becoming a very complex macro-world. Battles, clashes, and alliances are taking place there as well. And all this against the backdrop of access to the latest technologies and the opportunity to choose very different paths of development – in the context of a re-evaluation of all values.

By the way, fourthly, there is identity. Currently, the strongest identities are those that until recently seemed archaic. Emotionally charged "ethnicity," "religion," and "culture" are becoming stronger than rationally substantiated "class" or "party affiliation." And this is not only alarming but also makes one think that we do not know everything about the depths of our own human nature.

Finally, time itself is changing. It is now developing not in an upward direction, but along a steep parabola, where the events of each year of our lives are compressed into meanings, technologies, and innovations, the comprehension of which previously took decades.

But times of change are not all bad. The world is becoming brighter, more complex, and richer for us. In the end, everything will be fine. And the faded flags will be replaced by new, bright standards.

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