There is something extraordinary — and perhaps dangerous — about the world we live in. Three generations have grown up in the West without directly experiencing a major war, prolonged famine, or the need to rebuild their lives from the ruins. They were born after the Second World War into a promise that, for a long time, seemed almost like a law of nature: tomorrow would be better than today. And it was. The West rebuilt what had been destroyed and, upon the rubble, built prosperous, protected, and comfortable societies. The state came to support citizens in times of illness, old age, and unemployment. Technology reduced hardship and expanded possibilities. Productivity increased, life expectancy grew, and consumption ceased to be the privilege of a few. Not everyone benefited equally: wealth became concentrated, and inequality persists. But poverty declined on a scale never seen before. It was an extraordinary human achievement. Moreover, perhaps it created a trap. For decad...
There is a part of our lives about which we know very little. It happened before we were old enough to keep memories we could later recount. We were there, we inhabited the world, yet we cannot return to that place. Our memory holds no reliable images of that time—only an initial silence, scenes in which we were the protagonists without ever having the chance to keep the costume or the script. It is a strange paradox: we have a past that belongs to us simply because we lived it, yet we were summarily dispossessed of it because we cannot remember it. And yet, we tend to believe that this period was decisive. We confidently say that childhood shaped us, that certain experiences left deep marks, that what we lived through in our earliest years helps explain the contours of our temperament or the hesitations in our steps. Perhaps it is true. Very early experiences can indeed play a part in how we learn to trust, suppress pain, respond to fear, form bonds with others, and perceive the sha...