The Inner Crisis

Discovering Who We Really Are ...

Dear Friends,

In many ways, things are getting better and worse at the the same time.

On the one hand, technology is helping us live longer and healthier than we have before.

But a new Global Flourshing study of over 200,000 people across the world confirms what a lot of studies have as well:

Across the globe, our young people are not happy.

And it does not get better in college. One study found that that young adults ages 18-25 in the United States reported double the rates of anxiety and depression as teens.

Who is flourishing the most?

In the Global Flourishing Study Indonesia topped the list, followed by Mexico and the Philippines (not necessarily tech hubs!)

So why are so many young people unhappy—during what is often considered one of the happiest times in life?

There is no one answer. And we can't blame it all on social media, but here's how I see it:

A World of Comparison

Imagine walking through a forest. You see trees and plants of all shapes and sizes. You take it in as a whole—beautiful, diverse, and alive. Every plant belongs. You feel part of it.

Now imagine that every tree had a rating attached to it:
“This one’s small—just a two.”
“This one’s tall—an eight.”

Suddenly, you're not in a forest anymore. You’re in a hierarchy. Comparison has replaced connection.

This is what young people experience on social media.: Their lives are constantly measured, ranked, and rated.

It breeds separation—just the opposite of what we need to thrive. And it's not just them. We feel it too.

The Inner Dimension

The real opportunity is to nurture community and to remember who we are—not as a name, a number, or a role, but something deeper. This is the real work behind Wisdom 2.0: to live this in the modern day.

“We are the universe pretending to be people. The trouble is, we think the game is about surfaces when the fun is found in depth.” — Alan Watts

If there is any invitation in our time, it may be just this: to remember and live from this DEPTH.

The world we create will be vastly different as a result.

As Jon Kabat-Zinn likes to say, “It is only the hardest work of a lifetime.” And every moment we are able to connect and live from this depth, the world expands just a bit.

I like how Thich Nhat Hanh expressed it:

"Every breath you take is the universe expressing itself through you. Live like it matters—because it does."

No matter the amount of challenges in our personal lives or the problems in our world, may we stay anchored in the depth of our Being—and live from that place.

Wisdom 2.0 2025

There is still time to join us virtually at Wisdom 2.0 2025. Founders of Substack, OpenAI, along with leaders in wisdom and social change.

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Blessings,

SOREN