2026 could become as hot as 1848. Europe – nor the US – have ever reformed their societies enough to prevent a persistent dynamic through which money and power accumulate in the hands of a few, while pretending to be ‘free’ societies.

Until the fall of the Soviet Union elites were scared enough of communism to relax the system enough so a middle class formed.

The system has been putting on the thumb screws ever since, till it becomes unbearable.

I doubt a revolution is possible. The anger is real and justisfied, it’s also true that things look bleak for youngsters who can’t become influencers or surgeons or corporate lawyers or make it in IT, but the rage doesn’t seem to have a real alternative to flow into. Sadly.

I wonder how many percentage points the west’s moral bankruptcy in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Sudan and elsewhere is contributing.

We’ve seen for three years how nobody gets punished when entire neighbourhoods are flattened.

I understand why especially young people are furious or depressed or any shade of ‘not ok’ when they know schools require enormous effort for very uncertain rewards, rich kids have connections and networks and social and financial capital to save them, influencers are donating lamborghinis left and right for clicks, but they themselves can only expect struggle, the pretty extroverted ones are winning big online, but they are promised non-existing jobs if they write essays on Le Petit Prince which AI can do for them in seconds.

On the one hand the sky is no longer the limit, and on the other hand everything is hard and directionless.

The traditional ways offer little comfort and at the same time they see the happy few seemingly live the lives of Gods. That is the perfecr recipe for a nervous system that is asked to operate in a rain of molotov cocktails every day.

Add to that that our societies have no common mission whatsoever.

What are we asked to get out of bed for in the west?

To make a little more money and look a little bit more like a fitness model (we likely won’t, but the demand is there).

We are probably the most uninspired lot of human beings since humanity started.

But with the technology beyond anyone’s wildest dreams at our finger tips.

A five minute rant before bed and the whole circus starts again tomorrow.