I am hopeful that human ingenuity and the acceleration of communication and information sharing can outpace some of the long term problems that we created (such as climate change and growing wealth inequality). I’m not hopeful enough to be “optimistic,” but I’m hopeful that there will be a path where civilization endures in such a way as to create some as-yet unforeseen opportunities and advancements for the generations to come. Maybe it’s just pessimism in sheep’s clothing, but it’s all I’ve got.