The direction of the world

At the risk of a little pessimism, I wanted to get people's thoughts on the state of the world and where people see the world going in the next few years. It is a very broad subject with very little structure or definition, but that is the intent in a way. What sorts of things do you all notice about the world and people around you, and how might we begin to improve these things? Any other thoughts or ideas that may foster new ideas or perspective. Keep it clean and respectful of other people's opinions, as always.

It's hard to say in the context of my own lifetime or in the context of this century. Looking at the whole sweep of the history of Western Civilization, I think it's safe to say we live in a relatively safe environment. Are there dangers in this world that weren't there in previous generations? Yes. But has man had a fundamental shift in his nature? I don't think so.

I'm no economist, but I think the economic troubles the world has been facing as of late won't be such a long term problem, that it shifts global power or anything of that nature. But what do I know?

Cheers! :cheers2: