(In) a Different Light Uncertain times.

Or perhaps highly predictable ones. We’ve grown accustomed to a very simplistic view of the world. In politics, the Left fights the Right; Democrats battle Republicans. For the past several decades, economic, political, and social analysts have been confidently predicting what will happen. And things did happen, following a readable pattern. Whenever analysts forecasted a crash in gold or cryptocurrencies, instead of selling, one should have bought. When a hot summer was predicted, it was almost certain it would rain. Something seems broken now. The recent elections in France are thought-provoking. The U.S. presidential candidates, their public speeches, and debates make us wonder how it's possible that, in such a large country, there aren’t more suitable politicians to lead the world’s largest economy during a crisis and offer hope that everything is under control. Or perhaps that’s precisely the point—to shake everyone out of the sense of security and the belief that everything is okay. Tech companies visibly struggle to find a new strong development trend. AI may still inspire hope for a better tomorrow, but when you look at the broader IT market, a slump is visible after the extraordinary growth during the COVID era. Property owners are starting to realize that the seemingly safe and profitable rental business is slowing down, if not becoming outright unprofitable. And finally, the intensifying atmosphere of impending armed conflict in more and more parts of the world exacerbates the sense of uncertainty. Nothing that was once considered certain seems so anymore. Moreover, there are no new safe havens or hopeful prospects emerging for ordinary people, businesses, or even entire nations. Depolarization began some time ago, as wise minds have noted. Now it’s time for a new worldview, one likely different from the one we’ve known. There is a lack of clear leaders to show a new direction. Universal prosperity pushes us to focus on at least secondary matters (take, for example, the issue of bottle caps or phone chargers). Harder issues, though visible, await self-resolution, in line with the classic principle that half of all problems solve themselves, and someone else will take care of the other half. But I have a feeling that this time, it may not work that way. You’re probably wondering why this blog is here and why it has such a gloomy tone. It stems from my observations of the ongoing debate over the past few months, the decisions being made by democracies worldwide, and the matters dominating the headlines. Prepare for the last "standard" summer. Autumn will bring a turning point for everything.