Recapping 2023

Writing a recap of any year isn’t easy. And this one is not done with just yet, so there is always a chance that things will unfold in the next few weeks, not necessarily good things. Still, let’s give it a go…

Tough times

2023 clearly wasn’t easy: on a large scale, the war in Ukraine still very much rages on, with no clear end in sight. Meanwhile, the “new” war between Israel and Gaza is all but starting. You also have conflicts we don’t hear much about in places like Yemen, with actual famines taking place as we speak, or Venezuela, with somewhat comparable situations.

Then you have the looming threat of populist leaders in our good ol’ Western democracies. Trump is doing everything he can to position himself as the best choice for America in 2024, despite a slew of incriminating lawsuits hanging over his head. And he promises more mayhem than he ever amounted to the first time around. In my native France, the extreme right party has now become so normalized that it recently took part in a demonstration against antisemitism — even though its founder was a convicted antisemite many times over. And this is arguably even worse news than Trump 2.0: at least you have the Republican party behind that man, not all of whose members adhere to his nonsense. The French far right is exactly that: far from anything else.

Then you have the small scale stuff: as far as I’m concerned, 2023 was a bit of a transitional year, where I got out of my two main entrepreneurial ventures — outside of consulting, that is. And, while I started another two in the meantime, there are still pending questions that I ask myself on a daily basis. As a now 42-year old, I am conscious that the choices I now make will have more impact on my career as a whole. Put simply, I have less time to f*ck up. Already did that.

Clearer skies?

That being said, I quite simply refuse to capitulate — both personally and as far as the big picture is concerned. Personally, and while I am indeed 42 and not quite a multi-millionaire yet (although I now know quite a few, who f*cked up less than I did), I am not desperate either. All hope is not lost, my dear Skywalker, far from it. There is still time, and the ideas that I’m working on right now do have potential. Also, I’m not after money in the same way others are — as long as I have enough to buy myself americanos at Starbucks, falafels at the deli and ice cream in the summer on a whim, I’m good. And for my daughter too: I don’t like to share. Especially not ice creams.

Now on to the big picture: 2024 is looking tough, there is no doubt about that. Israel/Palestine is not extremely encouraging at the moment and so much damage has already been done that there will simply be no easy or quick fix whatever happens next. In the US, Trump does have a chance, sadly aided by Biden’s monolithic position on the aforementioned Israel/Palestine situation. Still… things will eventually improve in the Middle East — they have to. And I remain hopeful that Trump won’t get reelected: someone who talks about “vermin” in a campaign speech in 2023 should not be a plausible presidential contender in any country, let alone the world’s most powerful democracy.

More to the point, it seems clear that we are currently going through a low point in humanity’s — and the planet’s — lifecycle. Tensions are seemingly increasing, people look more scared than before, the future looks gloomier… But, and although some indicators are indeed worsening (take the environment for one), there are also decidedly encouraging factors. COP28 just ended with a landmark deal on the (gradual) phasing out of fossil fuels: it may not be binding or remotely close to the end on that topic, but it is a step. And, while we focus on the rise of populism, moderate Donald Tusk just got elected in Poland. On the social front, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled anti-abortion laws as unconstitutional this past September. There are many other such examples, the overall point being: it is not all bad. Far from it.

On a post first published on one of my side projects, I referenced the classic TED talk about humanity’s decidedly negative bias. No matter if the situation is improving or not, we tend to focus more on the issues than signs of progress. And, if things indeed deteriorate, we venture into doomsday scenarios far too quickly — thus contributing to trigger said scenarios. Being optimistic doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to issues, or conversely only focusing on the positive. But we should always try and take a step back. From where I stand, the situation is not easy; but it is manageable.