Dark Clouds Looming: 15 Reasons People Have Lost Hope for the Future

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It’s undeniable; the current state of our world can be pretty overwhelming.

Everywhere we turn, it seems like dark clouds are looming and more and more people are losing hope for the future.

But what lies beneath this sense of dread?

In this article, I’m going to delve deep into 15 different reasons why so many people are feeling anxious about what will happen in the coming years.

From financial insecurity to environmental destruction, let’s consider how these factors may be impacting our present day outlook on life and explore some actionable solutions that can help us build resilience against an uncertain future.

#1. Political Divide

In years past, you didn’t care that your neighbor was a member of a different party than yours.

You could still be friends and enjoy each other’s company.

But now, many people with opposing viewpoints don’t get along.

They feel the need to “correct” the other person on where and why they are wrong with their beliefs.

#2. Endless Wars

Most people thought after the collapse of the Soviet Union, wars would be a thing of the past.

But here we are, fighting endless wars all over the world.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and now Ukraine.

Sadly, some people might not even realize the wars we’ve been fighting in some of these countries.

Others wonder why we are fighting in the first place. 

#3. The Next Pandemic

If COVID wasn’t bad enough, there is talk about the next pandemic already.

When you listen to people in the government, it is all but assured there will be another pandemic soon.

Some say it will be marburg virus. Others say a massive cyber event.

No matter what it is, many people are concerned.

#4. Transitory Inflation

Throughout the pandemic, experts were saying that the rise in prices was a temporary thing and not to worry.

But here we are three years later, and prices are still high. Some prices are still climbing higher.

How can we be excited for the future when officials fail to act? Had the Federal Reserve started to slowly raise interest rates earlier, we may have been able to control inflation better.

#5. Wage Growth

You’ve read many stories about people quitting their job and having another, better paying one lined up before driving out of the parking lot.

There is nothing bad about getting a new job that pays more.

The problem is that even though wages have increased, inflation is growing faster. This means most people are still falling further behind financially.

This could be why consumer debt has skyrocketed in the last couple years.

It’s not until wages increase significantly that things will change for the better.

#6. Social Security

It seems every year, we get an update on when the Social Security trust fund will go broke.

Then you hear stories about how this will not happen.

The reality is that as Baby Boomers retire, there are not enough workers to replace them, so something is going to give.

Monthly payments must be reduced or capped, or future generations will pay in but get nothing out.

As a result, many younger people, when planning for retirement, don’t account for Social Security because they don’t think it will be around.

With so many smart people, there is a solution out there. The problem is the two sides refuse to agree on a fix and instead use it as a talking point.

#7. Government Spending

This ties into the inflation issue mentioned before. Part of what causes inflation is government spending. According to our politicians, slowing or reducing government spending isn’t a consideration.

Their only concern is to spend more money. This puts us further into debt, which means they need to find additional ways to tax people or raise taxes.

At this rate, if the government slows spending or even creates a balanced budget, it would be a modern day miracle.

#8. Subscriptions

There are some instances where having a subscription is a benefit, like when you need a monthly renewal item. Instead of placing the order every 30 days, it automatically ships to you.

But companies have taken this idea too far. They realize instead of getting paid once for their product, they can get paid monthly.

As a result, everything is now a monthly subscription. At some point, consumers need to stand up and say enough is enough.

#9. Rental Prices

If high housing prices aren’t bad enough, so too are rental prices.

This is because many Americans see real estate as a safer alternative to the stock market, so they are buying homes and renting them out.

Additionally, large companies, like Blackrock, are purchasing large amounts of homes, and they, too, are renting them out.

In both cases, people are looking to profit, so rent is high and goes up yearly to cover the higher costs of ownership and still earn a profit.

This forces people to spend more of their monthly income on housing, leaving less for other needs.

Which begs the question, if you can’t afford housing, how will you get ahead?

#10. Education

Many parents are unhappy with the education system.

Each year, more and more choose to take their kids out of public school and put them into private schools.

Some even decide to home school.

The reason? They feel educators are letting their kids down by not preparing them for the future.

Instead, most schools are only interested in students scoring high enough to meet state and federal guidelines so they can get additional money.

Where this money goes is anyone’s guess.

The longer it takes to fix this system, the more pessimistic people will be about our future leaders.

#11. Government Not Taking Care of Citizens

More and more people are fed up with the government not taking care of problems at home.

There is a homelessness issue, a drug crisis, people are struggling to find high paying jobs and more.

And instead of spending money to solve some of these issues, the government spends money overseas.

It feels like there is zero compromise regarding helping the American people but universal support for helping people in other countries.

#12. Food Concerns

There are numerous concerns when it comes to food.

First, you have more and more artificial ingredients, which cannot be good for our bodies long term.

Then there is the increased cost of food because, well, everything is becoming more expensive.

This makes it more challenging to afford healthy food to eat.

Then you have the war on the climate and the push to reduce the abundance of red meat.

John Kerry recently told farmers they must reduce food production to lower emissions.

Without food, how will we survive?

#13. Housing Prices

Owning a home is moving farther out of reach for many people. At the end of the Great Recession, the median home price was $220,900. Today it stands at $436,800.

That is close to double in a little more than ten years. With the cost of everything else increasing and wages not moving higher as quickly, people feel the squeeze.

Some choose not to buy but rent instead. Others buy but then suffer with a house they can barely afford.

It used to be home ownership was a goal of adulthood. If the current trend continues, buying one will be like winning the lottery.

#14. Healthcare

At the rate we are going, only a select few will be able to afford healthcare in the future.

Prices jump every year while insurance companies cut back on coverage and reduce the amount they are willing to pay.

I don’t know the solution, but something needs to be done to get prices under control so people can get the treatment they need.

#15. Artificial Intelligence

Using the various AI tools is a fun hobby to do when you are bored. This is especially true if you instruct it to tell you jokes in the same style as your favorite comedian.

But there are serious things to consider about AI technology.

The biggest is the number of jobs it will take away. We already see this in fast food restaurants with computers taking your orders.

Now that it has evolved, it is coming for higher paying jobs. Some warn that AI will replace entire industries. What will these people do for work?

If that isn’t scary enough, many are calling for slowing down the AI progression as it potentially can wipe out the human race.

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