The Paradox of Progress

So many advances in décor, architecture, and construction have been achieved. Humanity has accomplished what was deemed impossible just fifty years ago. We have built skyscrapers that pierce the clouds, created technologies that connect continents instantaneously, and engineered comforts our grandparents could scarcely imagine. Yet on the inner side—the moral and psychological dimension—humanity has not advanced an inch. From my perspective, we are moving backward at an alarming pace.

Look around you, and you shall see that much of what was once considered inappropriate and morally unacceptable has not only become accepted but, in many cases, has become the norm. The fashion industry now tends to reveal more than it covers, exposing what should remain private. Advertisements exploit women as attractive tools to sell products, reducing human dignity to commercial value. Even the movements that claimed to liberate women have, ironically, failed to free them; instead, women have become commodities in the marketplace of modern culture.

The Crisis of Meaning

Many people, especially in the so-called modern world, witness higher rates of suicide and mental anguish. People take their own lives, leaving notes that express an inability to find meaning. Others confess they cannot handle the overwhelming materialistic nature of their existence. Many simply cannot cope with the relentless pace demanded by their communities just to survive.

Even in the most economically advanced nations, we observe that capitalism has created a new form of enslavement. Employees work from 8 AM to 5 PM—or longer—with additional time spent commuting. They receive barely enough compensation for the lifetime they sacrifice to corporations. They are unable to pause and contemplate deeper questions because bills arrive weekly and must be paid. The hamster wheel never stops turning.

The Search for Systems

Philosophers and thinkers have tried to break this vicious cycle. They have proposed ideas, methods, and systems—each promising liberation from spiritual emptiness. But their theories remained buried in books because the wave was too strong, the tide too high, the momentum of materialism too powerful to resist.

Some intellectuals championed Communism—the pure form of materialism—believing that equalizing material wealth would solve humanity’s problems. They were proven catastrophically wrong after destroying millions of lives. Others promoted Capitalism, arguing that free markets and individual ambition would fulfill human potential. Yet this system, too, has failed to satisfy people’s deepest ambitions and needs. It creates wealth but not wisdom, comfort but not contentment, success but not significance.

The Unanswered Question

And so we continue searching and searching, toiling and working tirelessly, striving to improve our material circumstances. We accumulate possessions, climb corporate ladders, pursue status and recognition. Yet despite all our efforts, we may never achieve the levels of inner peace or self-satisfaction that we desperately seek—unless we stop running long enough to confront the question we spend our lives avoiding.

The question is not “What can I acquire?” or “How much can I achieve?” or “What will others think of me?” These are the questions our society encourages us to ask, the questions that keep the machinery of materialism humming efficiently.

The real question—the one that matters—is far simpler and infinitely more profound.