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We live in an age of unprecedented convenience, with easy access to information, services, and communication. Whether in our homes or in the middle of the desert, we have the tools to talk to anyone, to research the most advanced topics, to order items, food or services at the snap of a finger.

Of course, there is still incredibly painful inequality in the world, and widespread poverty, but to any outsider looking in it would seem as if we all have superpowers with all kinds of resources at our fingertips. Yet many of us are overcome by a sense of malaise.

In the US and Europe, barely a third of the population say they have any trust in their governments. When we look at much of the news emerging from these rich, developed countries, we are confronted by madness — gun violence, street protests and endless political squabbles. By contrast, in the Middle East, where we are traditionally used to far greater challenges, we have recently been living in an era of stability and mending fences.

�������� has extended its hand to Iran, Syria, and Yemen, redefining what is possible in our region, and potentially in the world. Amid this promising picture, however, Sudan suddenly pops up with renewed disturbances. One would imagine that our access to information, communication and artificial intelligence might allow us to anticipate, or at least assuage, such troubles when they rear their ugly heads, but, in this respect, we really have become none the wiser.

The sense of malaise I speak about affects the entire planet; it is not a localized phenomenon, but a global one. We do not lack the drive or enthusiasm to resolve difficult issues, but as we watch discussions between parliaments, countries and polities that are supposed to be constructive and sensible, we just see the same circus that is going nowhere.

Unfortunately, I do not have any new insights to offer. I am simply exhausted. Are you? Then we should discuss this further. Let us try, together, to understand how we found ourselves in this situation, never anticipating problems, never prepared to do what is necessary to meet challenges such as our deteriorating environment.

In France, the streets speak louder than politicians; in the United Kingdom a coronation involves police arresting Republican protesters; in the US, people are driven towards conspiracy theories tailored to their specific worldviews. In a time of little trust, the soothsayers of evil are taking the lead and preventing any steps that could bring us to a better place.

It is a virus worse than COVID-19 that we are experiencing: a virus of the mind that breaks our spirits and diminishes our enthusiasm. When we wake up, it is still dark. When we go to sleep, it is also dark. Only the thunderstorms at night light up our dreams. I cannot imagine that I am the only one who is feeling confused and overwhelmed by this general malaise.
Despite all our access to knowledge, and the intelligence we have accumulated, we are forced to acknowledge that, collectively, we have not matured enough to offer real solutions or remedies. We are simply not able to prevent things from falling apart.

Unfortunately, I do not have any new insights to offer. I am simply exhausted. Are you? Then we should discuss this further. Let us try, together, to understand how we found ourselves in this situation, never anticipating problems, never prepared to do what is necessary to meet challenges such as our deteriorating environment. Are we not able? Are we only capable of adding to the frustration? As we find ourselves hanging in thin air without a parachute and not knowing where we will land, let us at least try to figure out why we are here and how we can try to snap out of it.

• Hassan bin Youssef Yassin worked with Saudi petroleum ministers Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani from 1959 to 1967. He led the Saudi Information Office in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1981, and served with the Arab League observer delegation to the UN from 1981 to 1983.

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