The Anxiety of Now: Is the World Truly in Decline?

How Does the World End—With a Bang or a Whimper? When the Future Shrinks to a Single Minute, What Choices Remain?

Dec 03, 2024

Do you, like me, feel anxious about the state of the world?
Especially if you’re a parent worrying day and night about your child’s future.

Maybe you’ve watched how schools sometimes feel more like prisons, with children having less freedom than inmates. Perhaps, as your child grows, you notice your influence on their values, beliefs, and choices diminishing while the system takes over, leaving you powerless to protect them from life’s hardships.

If you’re immersed in the news, you might lean conservative, worrying about what radical leftists have done to the world. Or you might be progressive, fearful of the rise of far-right extremism.

If you’re a migrant like me—an InBetweenian—you may be alarmed by the surge in nationalism, xenophobia, and hidden prejudices bubbling up in Western societies. Maybe you follow the wars and dread their continuance or hear Trump’s ominous warning about a third world war being inevitable without him, only to witness fresh conflicts erupt under his return to power.

If you’re from a war-torn region, the question is simple: When will the war end?

For those in Sudan, the terror is about survival, and for those aware of Sudan, the shock is why the world remains silent about a catastrophe far greater than the trending conflicts in the media.

All these concerns might lead us to believe the world is teetering on the edge.

As someone who spent 14 years imprisoned in camps, has witnessed war up close, and survived extreme humanitarian crises, I can’t help but ask:

How much of this anxiety is rooted in reality?
How much is shaped by the media or information overload?
And how do I filter out the noise to see a clearer picture of where we’re headed?

Now, let me ask you a favor first

When you read this, keep the following in mind:

While I sit here preoccupied with anxieties about the future, I’m struck by the privilege of relative peace. My heart aches for those facing unimaginable suffering in Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Ukraine, Syria, Israel, Iran, Sistan, Kurdistan, and so many other places in the world.

I remember a decade ago when I was at a camp constantly under missile attack. The longest future I could be anxious about was the next minute.

Let’s explore this feeling together—its historical roots, the psychological theories, and, most importantly, the ways we can manage and understand this complex emotion.

The Long History of Feeling Decline

The idea that the world is falling apart is not new. History is littered with voices lamenting the end of civilization as they knew it.

Ancient Rome: In the 5th century, the Roman philosopher Salvian wrote about the decline of the Roman Empire, blaming moral corruption and societal decay. He wasn’t wrong—the empire did fall—but his perspective mirrored a long-standing tendency to view decline as moral failing.

The 20th Century: Thinkers like Oswald Spengler (The Decline of the West) and Arnold Toynbee (A Study of History) took a broader view, arguing that civilizations rise and fall like living organisms. Spengler believed Western culture was in its "winter" phase—decay was inevitable.

Freud: In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud took a personal turn, saying the tension between individual desires and societal rules creates a deep, underlying dissatisfaction. Modern life represses our instincts, leaving us anxious and uneasy.

These voices suggest that anxiety about decline is not just a modern condition. It’s a recurring theme rooted in how societies change and how humans cope.

Present-Day Theories: Why Do We Feel This Way?

1. Information Overload and Media Amplification

We’re drowning in the news. Social media, 24/7 headlines, and sensational reporting make every crisis feel like the end of the world.
Psychologists call this the availability heuristic—we overestimate the importance of things that are most readily available in our minds. A single catastrophic image on X can outweigh a thousand nuanced articles.

2. Loss of Shared Values

Sociologist Emile Durkheim called this anomie. It happens when rapid change erodes shared values and leaves people feeling disconnected. Today’s polarized political landscape amplifies this feeling—whether you fear "radical leftists" or "far-right extremists," it’s almost impossible to find common ground.

3. Existential Risks

From climate change to nuclear threats, the challenges we face today seem global in scale. Philosopher Timothy Morton, a professor and Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English at Rice University, calls these “hyperobjects”—problems so vast and complex they feel impossible to grasp. This vastness breeds helplessness and despair.

4. Nostalgia and the "Golden Age Fallacy"

Humans often romanticize the past, a psychological bias known as rosy retrospection, where we selectively recall positive aspects while ignoring past hardships. This tendency is heightened during turmoil, as seen in Iranian and American narratives.

In Iran, nostalgia for the Shah’s era portrays it as a time of stability, progress, freedom, and wealth, fueled by discontent with decades of oppression, execution, torture, economic collapse, and authoritarian rule under the anti-women, anti-freedom Islamic regime, the so-called “Islamic Republic.”

A similar sentiment underpins Donald Trump’s "Make America Great Again" slogan, which invokes a mythic past of prosperity and unity. Historian Jill Lepore notes that such narratives thrive during social upheaval, offering comfort but often distorting history.

As neuroscientist Daniel Kahneman explains in Thinking, Fast and Slow, our focus on immediate crises makes the past seem better in comparison.

5. Consumerism and Narcissism

Cultural critics like Christopher Lasch argued that modern culture’s focus on individualism and consumption weakens community bonds. When everyone’s focused on their own "brand," it’s easy to feel disconnected and pessimistic about the collective future.

How to Manage the Feeling of Decline

1. Recognize the Bias

First, understand that humans are wired to notice threats more than positives. This “negativity bias” helped our ancestors survive but can distort our perception of reality.

2. Filter the Noise

Learn to identify reliable sources of information. Limit exposure to sensationalist media1. Focus on long-term trends rather than daily headlines.

3. Distinguish Real Threats from False Alarms

Use data to guide your understanding. Not every crisis signals societal collapse. Ask:

What is the scale of this problem?
Is it solvable?
Can I do anything about it?
Will it impact me and my family immediately or in a short time?
Can I prevent the negative effect on my family > my society > and the world in any way?
Who else is worried about it, and why?

And many other questions before you conclude.

4. Build Resilience

Psychologists recommend focusing on what you can control. Strengthen community ties, contribute to local solutions, and build personal practices (like mindfulness) that help manage anxiety.

History shows that societies adapt and innovate. During the darkest times, humans have created art, science, and movements that transformed the world.

5. Final words

You might find this advice insignificant—like a pep talk or something from a fourth-grade guidance lesson. But when you begin to question and express your feelings, many of them lose the weight they once held.

My wife, Nina, explained it beautifully tonight: sharing a heavy lived experience can feel like lightening your own load, but it also carries an unexpected twist. As you share, the significance of those feelings may seem to diminish, leaving you to wonder if the listener even deserved to hear them. You might feel that you’ve wasted something deeply personal, or, as in my case with anxiety about the state of the world, you realize these feelings had been burdening your heart simply because they were left unspoken, unwritten, or unchallenged.

So, my best advice—for myself as much as for you—is this: write, share, and reiterate your feelings. Let them breathe, even if they seem fragile in the light of day.

Loop: The Reminder

I remember a decade ago when I was at a camp that was constantly under missile attack. The most extended future I could be anxious about was the next minute.

In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers.