In a world in which the War in Ukraine and the World Cup in Qatar are taking place at the same time, we see how the world economy (led by the US) is affected by a Federal Reserve unable to maintain the strength of the US dollar, despite the apparent repeated efforts of Jerome Powell to do so.
I am not one of those idealists who believe that the world can one day reach a state in which there are no problems of any kind; nor am I one of the dreamers who think that all past times were better. The truth is that if we analyze the history of humanity, and if we analyze it with strict rationality, the world is constantly changing, and whether we like it or not, there will always be unpredictable factors that will make the progress of humanity more difficult.
But these factors are not insurmountable, because although they can never all be fixed at the same time, there are always possibilities to solve problems. There are recessions, inflation, wars and vicissitudes, but there are also good times, there is peace and there is progress.
So, we have to see both sides of the coin, and not think that everything is as simple as analyzing it from the point of view of what is right or wrong, because there are many shades of gray that we must consider. Consider, for example, once-buoyant economies, such as the Venezuelan economy. In fact, many people are unaware that in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, the Venezuelan economy was one of the most prosperous and developed in the world (as they read it, not in Latin America, but in the world). At that time, the Venezuelan currency (the Bolívar) was a currency that rubbed shoulders with the US dollar and the British pound.
I mention this because since Venezuela fell into a protracted crisis and appalling situation due to bad economic and all kinds of policies in the last 20 or 22 years, many people are still waiting for the good times to return, and they believe that the current rulers should leave for May the good old days return. But it doesn't work like that, in reality the damage in Venezuela is structural, they have to start fixing what they have; solving problems, and above all, Venezuelans, as a people, must change their mentality in order to generate a new golden age (a time of prosperity and abundance) for the country.
But it is very clear that this time of prosperity and abundance will be (no matter when it occurs) very different from any previous golden age. Why? Because the world has changed, the world is different, the circumstances are different, and there is no doubt about that. So to think that the good old days will come, just as they once were, is naive, and not at all realistic.
In summary, we must understand that we must aspire to times of progress and abundance, but without idealizing. Perhaps the new golden times will be better or worse than the previous ones, but what we have to focus on is consciously and constantly improving the conditions of the world, and that is the best that can be aspired for. At least the way I see it.
